


Watching Sherlock BBC

by Idontcare1835



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Characters watching Sherlock, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 124,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25523956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idontcare1835/pseuds/Idontcare1835
Summary: This takes place after Season 2What happens, if Sherlock's acquaintances and friends all end up being forced to watch some of the 'late' Sherlock Holmes best cases, after being transported into a strange room that is. Follow John, Mrs Hudson, Molly, Mycroft, Lestrade, Donavan and Anderson as they watch the resident high functioning sociopath's cases, and what of the strange person clad in shadows at the corner?Slight mention of Johnlock.
Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson
Comments: 12
Kudos: 85





	1. Low-key kidnapping (00x00 Part 1/1)

**Author's Note:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

Mrs Hudson smiled warmly as John walked up to her. His eyes glazed over from the tears he was desperately trying to keep in. Black bags hung under his eyes, dried tear tracks streaking through them. John sniffled slightly before nodding over to the gate of the cemetery. While John tried to keep himself together, to remain tough, Mrs Hudson let her emotions show, though she didn't cry. Together they walked away, leaving the new shiny black tombstone behind, Sherlock's gravestone.

As they reached the road, a black fancy car pulled in front of them. It's windows tinted black to stop intruders from peering in, and a pretty girl stepped out of the car, from the passenger's door. John sighed in annoyance at the sight. "I'm not going with you, I don't want anything to do with him." John all but growled as anger replaced the annoyance, after all, it was his fault. If he hadn't of sold out his own brother for information, Moriarty never would have been able to pull it off and John didn't care what anybody said, Sherlock was not a fraud.

Said person, the one who ratted out his brother, not Sherlock, obviously, stepped out of the car. "I am sorry John," Mycroft Holmes said, grief filling his voice, well just as much grief filled his voice as a robots'. John glared and Mrs Hudson just sighed. Nobody spoke for a while before Mycroft's wall cracked and a single tear ran down his face. "He was my brother John," He whispered which caused John's own walls to break.

"Fine," He muttered and together the three of them stepped into the back seats, Mrs Hudson in the middle as the girl got back into the front. But before the car could start; Mrs Hudson, John and Mycroft's vision turned white until it was the only thing they could see.

***

"I don't get it" Lestrade muttered. He, Anderson and Donovan were sitting in his office, every file for the cases Sherlock had helped with splayed out on the desk between them. "Why would he kill himself, it just isn't him."

"He's a freak, who knows why he does anything." Donovan retorted. "Besides, you didn't really know him at all, if he managed to create all these cases."

Lestrade sighs, as he runs a hand through his hair. He couldn't believe it, he just couldn't. Even if there were so many facts, he still couldn't believe that Sherlock had made everything up, something didn't add up. Lestrade sighs as Anderson opens his mouth but before he can speak, all their visions turn pure white.

***

John blinked as the white vanished, revealing a cosy looking room. To one side there was a table lining the wall, snacks all piled across it. Directly across from the table of foods was a giant TV, like the ones in the cinemas. Between the TV and Table where different seats. From bean bags to rolly chairs all of the seats looked like they had been quickly just thrown in the room. But besides that, there was no other furniture in the room. Though there was a strange looking figure sitting in an armchair in the corner. The figure was clad in black, and even the shadows themselves seemed to be wrapped around the figure. John frowned at him before his eyes were drawn elsewhere. Three figures emerged out of nowhere, the same white light enveloped them. When the light left, it revealed, Inspector Lestrade, Donovan and Anderson.

"John?" Lestrade asks curiously, John moves forward slightly, nodding.

"Hey Greg," John greeted, his eyes flickering between the other two newcomers but he doesn't bother greeting them.

"Where the hell are we?" Donovan demanded as she spun around, surveying the room.

"Why do you think we know?" Mycroft snapped back, John glanced back in surprise, he had been so silent that John had forgotten he was there.

Before anyone else could reply another flash of white and Molly appeared. The massive T.V. on the side of the wall turned on, to reveal a message written in white.

\----

**_Holla,_ _  
_ _I have brought you here today, to witness the life of the late Sherlock Holmes. Well some of it. You will be watching the big cases of Sherlock's, starting with the first case that Sherlock and John ever solved together. So sit back, relax, and enjoy. And no you don't have a choice._ **

\-----

"Why do we have to watch Sherlock's cases, he was behind them all so what's the point!" Donovan said, not letting the chance to belittle the so called 'freak' slip by.

"Maybe this will finally show you that Sherlock is not a fraud!" John snapped at the sergeant.

"Nobody else is going to comment on the fact that we've been magically teleported into a room with no way out, being forced to watch some footage that probably comes across as stalkerish and a guy literally surrounded by shadows sitting in the corner?" Anderson yelled after a couple minutes of silence.

"Yes, who are are you?" Mycroft asks, or more like demands. The shadow figure didn't move, or speak. Instead the words on the screen changed, much to everyone's surprise.

\----

_**I have hidden him in shadows to hide his identity, it will be revealed, but not yet so do not bother asking.** _

\----

"And who are you?" Lestrade asks.

\----

_**A.... friend, who is trying to prove a point, now make yourself comfortable, the first case will start soon** _

\----

Everyone sighs before taking a seat. John sat in a chair that looked a lot like his armchair in the flat. Mrs Hudson sat next to John. Anderson and Donovan sat on the bean bags. Mycroft sat the closest to the shadowy figure, sitting with perfect posture. Both Lestrade and Molly claimed the couch. They all settled down as the black screen changed to reveal....


	2. The Pink Lady (01x01 part 1/4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

They all settled down as the black screen changed to reveal.... 

**_IN A BEDSIT SOMEWHERE IN LONDON.  
_ John Watson is having a nightmare. He is reliving his Army days and his team is under fire somewhere abroad. A colleague cries out his name as the gunfire continues. **

"What's going on? I thought we were here to watch Sherlock's life not this," Anderson comments. John shuffles slightly in his seat.

"Yeah this is just before I met Sherlock," John muttered and Molly, Lestrade and Mrs Hudson gave him a small pitying look. John adverted his eyes and shuffled awkwardly before looking back at the screen.

**Finally, he jolts awake and sits up in bed wide-eyed and breathing heavily until he realises that he is safe and a long way from the war. Flopping back onto his pillow, he tries to calm his breathing as he continues to be haunted by his memories. Eventually, unable to stop himself, he begins to weep.**

"Oh John," Mrs Hudson, grabs John's hand and John smiles slightly at here. 

"Don't worry Mrs Hudson, the nightmares stopped after I met Sherlock," John's voice went from happy to sad as he remembered his best friends death. 

**_SOMETIME LATER.  
_ John has sat up on the side of the bed and switched on the bedside lamp. It's still dark outside. John sits quietly, wrapped up in his thoughts, and looks across to the desk on the other side of the room. A metal walking cane is leaning against the desk. He looks at it unhappily, then continues to gaze into the distance. He will not be sleeping again tonight.**

_ **DAY TIME.**   
_ **The sun has finally risen and John, now wearing a dressing gown over his night wear, hobbles across the room leaning heavily on his cane. In his other hand he has a mug of tea and an apple, both of which he puts down onto the desk. The mug bears the arms of the Royal Army Medical Corps. Sitting down, he opens the drawer in the desk to get his laptop. As he lifts the computer out of the drawer, we see that he also has a pistol in there. Putting the laptop onto the desk and opening the lid he looks at the web page which has automatically loaded. It reads, "The personal blog of Dr. John H. Watson". The rest of the page is blank.**

"Writer's block?" Donovan asks, her tone slightly mocking. Everyone glared at her in response. 

** _LATER._   
** **John is at his psychotherapist's office and he sits in a chair opposite her.**

**ELLA: How's your blog going?  
** **JOHN: Yeah, good. (He clears his throat awkwardly.) Very good.  
** **ELLA: You haven't written a word, have you?  
** **JOHN (pointing to Ella's notepad on her lap): You just wrote, "Still has trust issues."  
** **ELLA: And you read my writing upside down. D'you see what I mean?  
** **(John smiles awkwardly.)**

"She has a point," Mycroft says, in his usual annoying tone. 

"No shit," John muttered, still annoyed at him. 

**ELLA: John, you're a soldier, and it's gonna take you a while to adjust to civilian life; and writing a blog about everything that happens to you will honestly help you.  
** **(John gazes back at her, his face full of despair.)  
** **JOHN: Nothing happens to me.**

"Don't worry John, soon you'll never have a break," Anderson jokes, causing John to chuckle and hum in agreement. **  
**

_** OCTOBER 12TH.  
** _ **A well-dressed middle-aged business man walks across the concourse of a busy London railway station talking into his mobile phone.**

"Is this...?" Donovan trails off as they stared at their first suicide victim.

"But I thought we were just watching Sherlock's life?" Molly asked and everyone frowned.

"Well, we did see John's life at the start, so the person making us watch this is probably trying to show us more information." Mycroft commented.

**SIR JEFFREY: What d'you mean, there's no ruddy car?  
** **(His secretary is at his office talking into her phone as she walks across the room.)  
** **HELEN: He went to Waterloo. I'm sorry. Get a cab.  
** **SIR JEFFREY: I never get cabs.  
** **(Helen looks around furtively to make sure that nobody is within earshot, then speaks quietly into the phone.)  
** **HELEN: I love you.**

"He was having an affair with his secretary?" Molly asked shocked.

"Seems like it," 

**SIR JEFFREY (suggestively): When?  
** **HELEN (giggling): Get a cab!  
** **(Smiling as he hangs up, Sir Jeffrey looks around for the cab rank.)**

** _SOME UNSPECIFIED LATER._   
** **Sitting on the floor by the window of what appears to be an office many storeys above ground, Sir Jeffrey unscrews the lid of a small glass bottle which contains three large capsules. Tipping one out, he stares ahead of himself wide-eyed and afraid and puts the capsule into his mouth. Later, he is writhing on the floor in agony. We can now see that the office in which his dying body is lying is empty of furniture.**

_** POLICE PRESS CONFERENCE.  
** _ **Flanked by a police officer and another man who may be her solicitor or a family member, Sir Jeffrey's wife is sitting at a table making a statement to the press.**

**MARGARET PATTERSON (tearfully as she reads from her statement): My husband was a happy man who lived life to the full. He loved his family and his work – and that he should have taken his own life in this way is a mystery and a shock to all who knew him.  
** **(Standing at one side of the room, Helen tries to keep control of her feelings but eventually closes her eyes and lets the tears roll down her face.)**

_** NOVEMBER 26TH.   
** _ **Two boys in their late teens are running down a street at night in the pouring rain. Gary has opened a fold-up umbrella and is trying to keep it under control in the wind, while Jimmy has his jacket pulled up over his head. He calls out in triumph when a black cab approaches with its yellow sign lit to show that it is available for hire.**

**JIMMY: Yes, yes, taxi, yes!  
** **(He whistles and waves to the taxi but it drives past. He makes an exasperated sound, then starts to head back in the direction he just came, looking round at his friend.)**

"I thought it was the taxi driver that killed all those people," Mrs Hudson commented.

"Probably a different taxi,"

**JIMMY: I'll be back in two minutes, mate.  
** **GARY: What?  
** **JIMMY: I'm just going home; get my mum's umbrella.  
** **GARY: You can share mine!  
** **JIMMY: Two minutes, all right?**

**He walks away. Some time later Gary looks at his watch, apparently worried because Jimmy has been gone for too long. He turns around and heads back in pursuit of his friend.** **  
**

_** SOME UNSPECIFIED TIME LATER.   
** _ **Jimmy sits crying and clutching a small glass bottle which contains three large capsules. He unscrews the lid, his hands shaking, and sobs. We see that he is sitting on a window ledge inside a sports centre overlooking a sports court.**

**The following day, an article in The Daily Express runs the headline "Boy, 18, kills himself inside sports centre".**

_** JANUARY 27TH.  
** _ **At a public venue, a party is being held. A large poster showing a photograph of the guest of honour is labelled "Your local MP, Beth Davenport, Junior Minister for Transport." As pounding dance music comes from inside the room, one of Beth's aides walks out of the room and goes over to her male colleague who is standing at the bar. He looks at her in exasperation.**

**AIDE 1: Is she still dancing?  
** **AIDE 2: Yeah, if you can call it that.  
** **AIDE 1: Did you get the car keys off her?  
** **AIDE 2 (showing him the keys): Got 'em out of her bag.  
**

**(The man smiles in satisfaction, then looks into the dance hall and frowns.)  
** **AIDE 1: Where is she?**

**Beth has slipped out of the venue and is standing at the side of her car searching through her handbag for her keys. She sighs when she can't find them and looks around helplessly.**

**_ SOME UNSPECIFIED TIME LATER   
_ ** **Beth stands inside a portacabin on a building site and sobs hysterically. As she continues to cry, she reaches out a trembling hand towards a small glass bottle which contains three large capsules.**

Lestrade frowns as he watches it, silently wishing he had asked for Sherlock's help sooner to stop so many people from dying, but he probably wouldn't have even taken the case. **  
**

**_ POLICE PRESS CONFERENCE.   
_ ** **Detective Inspector Lestrade sits at the table looking uncomfortable while his colleague sitting beside him, Detective Sergeant Sally Donovan, addresses the gathered press reporters.**

"Maybe we'll finally be able to find out how the freak texts everyone at once," Donovan announces and John glared heavily at her because of that annoying nickname she insists on using. **  
**

**DONOVAN: The body of Beth Davenport, Junior Minister for Transport, was found late last night on a building site in Greater London. Preliminary investigations suggest that this was suicide. We can confirm that this apparent suicide closely resembles those of Sir Jeffrey Patterson and James Phillimore. In the light of this, these incidents are now being treated as linked. The investigation is ongoing but Detective Inspector Lestrade will take questions now.  
** **REPORTER 1: Detective Inspector, how can suicides be linked?  
** **LESTRADE: Well, they all took the same poison; um, they were all found in places they had no reason to be; none of them had shown any prior indication of ...  
** **REPORTER 1 (interrupting): But you can't have serial suicides.  
** **LESTRADE: Well, apparently you can.  
** **REPORTER 2: These three people: there's nothing that links them?  
** **LESTRADE: There's no link been found yet, but we're looking for it. There has to be one.**

**(Everybody's mobile phone trills a text alert simultaneously. As they look at their phones, each message reads:**

**###**

**Wrong!**

**###**

**Donovan looks at the same message on her own phone.**

**DONOVAN: If you've all got texts, please ignore them.  
** **REPORTER 1: Just says, 'Wrong'.  
** **DONOVAN: Yeah, well, just ignore that. Okay, if there are no more questions for Detective Inspector Lestrade, I'm going to bring this session to an end.  
** **REPORTER 2: But if they're suicides, what are you investigating?  
** **LESTRADE: As I say, these ... these suicides are _clearly_ linked. Um, it's an ... it's an unusual situation. We've got our best people investigating ...  
** **Everybody's mobile trills another text alert and again each message reads:**

**###**

**Wrong!**

**###**

**REPORTER 1: Says, 'Wrong' again.  
** **(Lestrade looks despairingly at Sally.)  
** **DONOVAN (to the reporters): One more question.  
** **REPORTER 3: Is there any chance that these are murders, and if they are, is this the work of a serial killer?  
** **LESTRADE: I ... I know that you like writing about these, but these do appear to be suicides. We know the difference. The, um, the poison was _clearly_ self-administered.  
** **REPORTER 3: Yes, but if they _are_ murders, how do people keep themselves safe?  
** **LESTRADE: Well, don't commit suicide.  
**

"I don't think that was the best thing to say," Molly commented and Lestrade winces.

"Yeah, not my best moment."

**(The reporter looks at him in shock. Donovan covers her mouth and murmurs a warning.)  
** **DONOVAN: "Daily Mail."  
**

**(Lestrade grimaces and looks at the reporters again.)  
** **LESTRADE: Obviously this is a frightening time for people, but all anyone has to do is exercise reasonable precautions. We are all as safe as we want to be.  
** **(Again the mobiles trill their text alerts, and once more each message reads:**

**###**

**Wrong!**

**###**

**But Lestrade's phone takes a moment longer to alert him to a text and when he looks at it, the message reads:**

**###**

**You know where  
** **to find me.  
**

**SH**

**###**

"So that's what you were reading, I knew it was too long to just be 'wrong' but I couldn't see," Donovan muttered and Lestrade just shrugs.

"He always knows when we needed help,"

"Yeah well obviously, cause he was behind the whole thing from the start!" Donovan yells.

**Looking exasperated, he puts the phone into his pocket and looks at the reporters as he stands up.)**

**LESTRADE: Thank you.**

**Shortly afterwards, he and Donovan are walking through the offices of New Scotland Yard.**

**DONOVAN: You've _got_ to stop him doing that. He's making us look like idiots.  
** **LESTRADE: Well, if you can tell me _how_ he does it, I'll stop him.**

"Damn I was hoping we would find out how he did that." Donovan muttered and John sent yet another glare at her. **  
**

_** RUSSELL SQUARE PARK. ** _

**John is limping briskly through the park, leaning heavily on his cane. As he walks past a man sitting on a bench, the man stares after him, clearly recognising him. He calls out.**

**MIKE: John! John Watson!  
** **(John turns back to Mike as he stands up and hurries towards him, smiling.)  
**

"Who's that? Mrs Hudson asks. 

"Mike, he was the one who introduced me to Sherlock," John answers, a faint smile adorning his face. All the other's looked shock in response to the ex-soldiers words. Beside Molly because she was there, kinda, and Mycroft cause his just creepy like that. 

**MIKE: Stamford. Mike Stamford. We were at Bart's together.  
** **JOHN: Yes, sorry, yes, Mike. (He takes Mike's offered hand and shakes it.) Hello, hi.  
** **MIKE (grinning and gesturing to himself): Yeah, I know. I got fat!  
** **JOHN (trying to sound convincing): No.**

"You're a terrible liar John,"

**MIKE: I heard you were abroad somewhere, getting shot at. What happened?  
** **JOHN (awkwardly): I got shot.  
**

**(They both look embarrassed.)**

**A little later they have bought take-away coffees and are sitting side by side on a bench in the park. Mike looks at John worriedly. Oblivious, John takes a sip from his coffee then looks across to his old colleague.**

**JOHN: Are you still at Bart's, then?  
** **MIKE: Teaching now. Bright young things, like we used to be. (Pauses slightly) God, I hate them!  
** **(They both laugh.)  
** **MIKE: What about you? Just staying in town 'til you get yourself sorted?  
** **JOHN: I can't afford London on an Army pension.  
** **MIKE: Ah, and you couldn't bear to be anywhere else. That's not the John Watson I know.  
** **JOHN (uncomfortably): Yeah, I'm not the John Watson ...**

**He stops. Mike awkwardly looks away and drinks his coffee. John switches his own cup to his right hand and looks down at his left hand, clenching it into a fist as he tries to control the tremor that has started. Mike looks round at him again.**

**MIKE: Couldn't Harry help?**

"Who's Harry?" Anderson asks curiously. 

**JOHN (sarcastically): Yeah, like that's gonna happen!  
** **MIKE (shrugging): I dunno – get a flatshare or something?  
** **JOHN: Come on – who'd want me for a flatmate?  
** **(Mike chuckles thoughtfully.)  
** **JOHN: What?  
** **MIKE: Well, you're the second person to say that to me today.  
** **JOHN: Who was the first?**

_** ST BARTHOLOMEW'S HOSPITAL MORGUE.  
** _ **Sherlock Holmes unzips the body bag lying on the table and peers at the corpse inside. He sniffs.**

"He really is a freak, what's with him sniffing everything anyway?" Donovan asks, and just like every other time that she has opened her mouth, John glares at her. 

"His using all his senses." He snapped.

**SHERLOCK: How fresh?  
** **(Pathologist Molly Hooper walks over.)  
** **MOLLY: Just in. Sixty-seven, natural causes. He used to work here. I knew him. He was nice.  
** **(Zipping up the bag, Sherlock straightens, turns to her and smiles falsely.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Fine. We'll start with the riding crop.**

**Shortly afterwards the body has been removed from the bag and is lying on its back on the table. In the observation room next door, Molly watches and flinches while Sherlock flogs the body repeatedly and violently with a riding crop, but her face is also full of admiration.**

Molly frowns over at the screen, was her crush on Sherlock really that obvious?

**She walks back into the room and as he finishes and straightens up, breathless, she goes over to him.**

**MOLLY (jokingly): So, bad day, was it?  
** **SHERLOCK (ignoring her banter as he gets out a notebook and starts writing in it): I need to know what bruises form in the next twenty minutes. A man's alibi depends on it. Text me.  
** **MOLLY: Listen, I was wondering: maybe later, when you're finished ...  
** **(Sherlock glances across to her as he is writing, then does a double-take and frowns at her.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Are you wearing lipstick? You weren't wearing lipstick before.**

"Since when has he noticed something like that?" Lestrade asks in shock, not remembering a time that Sherlock ever noticed if someone was wearing lipstick or not, or even being interested in someone like that. 

**MOLLY (nervously): I, er, I refreshed it a bit.  
** **(She smiles at him flirtatiously. He gives her a long oblivious look, then goes back to writing in his notebook.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Sorry, you were saying?  
** **MOLLY (gazing at him intently): I was wondering if you'd like to have coffee.  
** **(Sherlock puts away his notebook.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Black, two sugars, please. I'll be upstairs.  
** **(He walks away.)  
** **MOLLY: ... Okay.**

"I don't think that's quite what she meant Sherlock," Mrs Hudson muttered sadly.

_** BART'S LAB.  
** _ **Sherlock is standing at the far end of the lab using a pipette to squeeze a few drops of liquid onto a Petri dish.**

"This is the first time I ever met Sherlock," John muses.

"Sally, if you insist on believing that my brother is a fraud, that maybe you should try and deduces John here," Mycroft announces, rather suddenly causing the black figure in the corner to shift slightly. Sally or Donovan glares at Mycroft but still she and the other Yarders lean forward. 

**Mike knocks on the door and brings John in with him. Sherlock glances across at them briefly before looking at his work again. John limps into the room, looking around at all the equipment.**

**JOHN: Well, bit different from my day.  
** **MIKE (chuckling): You've no idea!  
** **SHERLOCK (sitting down): Mike, can I borrow your phone? There's no signal on mine.  
** **MIKE: And what's wrong with the landline?  
** **SHERLOCK: I prefer to text.  
** **MIKE: Sorry. It's in my coat.  
** **(John fishes in his back pocket and takes out his own phone.)  
** **JOHN: Er, here. Use mine.  
** **SHERLOCK: Oh. Thank you.  
** **(Glancing briefly at Mike, he stands up and walks towards John. Mike introduces him.)  
** **MIKE: It's an old friend of mine, John Watson.  
** **(Sherlock reaches John and takes his phone from him. Turning partially away from him, he flips open the keypad and starts to type on it.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Afghanistan or Iraq?**

"How could he already know that?" Lestrade exclaims in shock. Causing Donovan to snort.

"He set everything up remember," Donovan snorts.

"Why would he waste so much time researching and setting up John," Molly asks.

"Your just saying that because your in love with the freak," Donovan snaps back. Everyone glares at her. 

"Besides, why would Sherlock even waste time doing all that, it's not like he ever actually needed John," Anderson adds before wincing slightly, "that came out wrong," He muttered.

**(John frowns. Nearby, Mike smiles knowingly. John looks at Sherlock as he continues to type.)  
** **JOHN : Sorry?  
** **SHERLOCK: Which was it – Afghanistan or Iraq?  
** **(He briefly raises his eyes to John's before looking back to the phone. John hesitates, then looks across to Mike, confused. Mike just smiles smugly.)  
** **JOHN: Afghanistan. Sorry, how did you know ...?  
** **(Sherlock looks up as Molly comes into the room holding a mug of coffee.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Ah, Molly, coffee. Thank you.  
** **(He shuts down John's phone and hands it back while Molly brings the mug over to him. He takes it and looks closely at her. Her mouth is paler again.)  
** **SHERLOCK: What happened to the lipstick?**

"Again, why does Sherlock cares? He's never cares about anyone else," Lestrade mutters causing Molly's check to go a slight pink and the corner of John's lips tug downwards at his comment. 

**MOLLY (smiling awkwardly at him): It wasn't working for me.  
** **SHERLOCK: Really? I thought it was a big improvement. Your mouth's too small now.**

"Oh Sherlock," Mrs Hudson murmured in disappointment. 

**(He turns and walks back to his station, taking a sip from the mug and grimacing at the taste.)  
** **MOLLY: ... Okay.  
** **(She turns and heads back towards the door.)  
** **SHERLOCK: How do you feel about the violin?  
** **(John looks round at Molly but she's on her way out the door. He glances at Mike who is still smiling smugly, and finally realises that Sherlock is talking to him.)  
** **JOHN: I'm sorry, what?  
** **SHERLOCK (typing on a laptop keyboard as he talks): I play the violin when I'm thinking. Sometimes I don't talk for days on end. (He looks round at John.) Would that bother you? Potential flatmates should know the worst about each other.  
** **(He throws a hideously false smile at John, who looks at him blankly for a moment then looks across to Mike.)  
** **JOHN: Oh, you ... you told him about me?  
** **MIKE: Not a word.  
** **JOHN (turning to Sherlock again): Then who said anything about flatmates?  
** **SHERLOCK (picking up his greatcoat and putting it on): I did. Told Mike this morning that I must be a difficult man to find a flatmate for. Now here he is just after lunch with an old friend, clearly just home from military service in Afghanistan. Wasn't that difficult a leap.**

**JOHN: How did you know about Afghanistan?  
** **(Sherlock ignores the question, wraps his scarf around his neck, then picks up his mobile and checks it.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Got my eye on a nice little place in central London. Together we ought to be able to afford it.  
**

**(He walks towards John.)  
** **SHERLOCK: We'll meet there tomorrow evening; seven o'clock. Sorry – gotta dash. I think I left my riding crop in the mortuary.  
**

**(Putting his phone into the inside pocket of his coat, he walks past John and heads for the door.)  
** **JOHN (turning to look at him): Is that it?  
** **(Sherlock turns back from the door and strolls closer to John again.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Is that what?  
** **JOHN: We've only just met and we're gonna go and look at a flat?  
** **SHERLOCK: Problem?  
** **(John smiles in disbelief, looking across to Mike for help, but his friend just continues to smile as he looks at Sherlock. John turns back to the younger man.)**

John frowns slightly as he stares at his old friend. If he didn't know any better than he would think that Mike had a crush on Sherlock by the way he looked at him. 

**JOHN: We don't know a thing about each other; I don't know where we're meeting; I don't even know your name.**

**(Sherlock looks closely at him for a moment before speaking.)  
** **SHERLOCK: I know you're an Army doctor and you've been invalided home from Afghanistan. I know you've got a brother who's worried about you but you won't go to him for help because you don't approve of him – possibly because he's an alcoholic; more likely because he recently walked out on his wife. And I know that your therapist thinks your limp's psychosomatic – quite correctly, I'm afraid.  
** **(John looks down at his leg and cane and shuffles his feet awkwardly.)  
** **SHERLOCK (smugly): That's enough to be going on with, don't you think?  
** **(He turns and walks to the door again, opening it and going through, but then leans back into the room again.)  
**

**SHERLOCK: The name's Sherlock Holmes and the address is 221B Baker Street.  
** **(He click-winks at John, then looks round at Mike.)  
**

**SHERLOCK: Afternoon.  
** **(Mike raises a finger in farewell as Sherlock disappears from the room. As the door slams shut behind him, John turns and looks at Mike in disbelief. Mike smiles and nods to him.)  
**

**MIKE: Yeah. He's always like that.**

_** LATER.  
** _ **John has returned to his bedsit. Sitting down on the bed, he takes out his mobile phone and flicks through the menu to find Messages Sent. The last message reads:**

**###**

**If brother has green ladder  
** **arrest brother.  
** **SH**

**###**

**Puzzled, John looks at the message for a long moment, then looks across to the table where his laptop is lying. He pushes himself to his feet and walks over to the table. Shortly afterwards, he has called up a search website called Quest and types "Sherlock Holmes" into the search box.**

"You searched him up?" Anderson asks, curiously. 

"Wouldn't you?"

_ **IN AN UNKNOWN LOCATION.**   
_ **A woman wearing a pink overcoat and pink high-heeled shoes slowly reaches down with a trembling hand towards a clear glass bottle which is standing on the bare floorboards and which contains three large capsules. Her fingers close around the bottle and she slowly lifts it off the floor, her hand still shaking.**

Everyone but Mycroft winces at the fourth victim. 

"So many deaths,"

**_ BAKER STREET.  
_ ** **John limps along the road and reaches the door marked 221B just as a black cab pulls up at the kerb behind him. John knocks on the door as Sherlock gets out of the cab.**

**SHERLOCK: Hello.  
** **(He reaches in through the window of the cab and hands some money to the driver.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Thank you.  
** **(John turns towards him as he walks over.)  
** **JOHN: Ah, Mr Holmes.  
** **SHERLOCK: Sherlock, please.  
** **(They shake hands.)  
**

**JOHN: Well, this is a prime spot. Must be expensive.  
** **SHERLOCK: Oh, Mrs Hudson, the landlady, she's giving me a special deal. Owes me a favour. A few years back, her husband got himself sentenced to death in Florida. I was able to help out.  
** **JOHN: Sorry – you stopped her husband being executed?  
** **SHERLOCK: Oh no. I ensured it.**

"Wait, what?" Donovan asked, eyeing Mrs Hudson in disgust.

**(He smiles at John as the front door is opened by Mrs Hudson, who opens her arms to the younger man.)  
** **MRS HUDSON: Sherlock, hello.  
** **(Sherlock turns and walks into her arms, hugging her briefly, then steps back and presents John to her.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Mrs Hudson, Doctor John Watson.  
** **MRS HUDSON: Hello.  
** **JOHN: How do?  
** **MRS HUDSON (gesturing John inside): Come in.  
** **JOHN: Thank you.  
** **SHERLOCK: Shall we?  
** **MRS HUDSON: Yeah.**

**The men go inside and Mrs Hudson closes the door. Sherlock trots up the stairs to the first floor landing, then pauses and waits for John to hobble upstairs. As John reaches the top of the stairs, Sherlock opens the door ahead of him and walks in, revealing the living room of the flat. John follows him in and looks around the room and at all the possessions and boxes scattered around it.**

**JOHN: Well, this could be very nice. Very nice indeed.  
** **SHERLOCK: Yes. Yes, I think so. My thoughts precisely.  
** **(He looks around the flat happily.)  
** **SHERLOCK: So I went straight ahead and moved in.  
** **JOHN (simultaneously): Soon as we get all this rubbish cleaned out ... Oh.  
** **(He pauses, embarrassed, when he realises what Sherlock was saying.)  
** **JOHN: So this is all ...  
** **SHERLOCK: Well, obviously I can, um, straighten things up a bit.**

**He walks across the room and makes a half-hearted attempt to tidy up a little, throwing a couple of folders into a box and then taking some apparently unopened envelopes across to the fireplace where he puts them onto the mantelpiece and then stabs a multi tool knife into them. John has noticed something else on the mantelpiece and lifts his cane to point at it.**

**JOHN: That's a skull.  
** **SHERLOCK: Friend of mine. When I say 'friend' ...**

"Freak!" Donovan muttered.

**Mrs Hudson has followed them into the room. She picks up a cup and saucer while Sherlock takes off his great coat and scarf.**

**MRS HUDSON: What do you think, then, Doctor Watson? There's another bedroom upstairs if you'll be needing two bedrooms.**

The Yarders and Molly chuckle at Mrs Hudson's implication, while John's cheeks are dusted pink.

**JOHN: Of course we'll be needing two.  
** **MRS HUDSON: Oh, don't worry; there's all sorts round here. (Confidentially, dropping her voice to a whisper by the end of the sentence) Mrs Turner next door's got married ones.**

**John looks across to Sherlock, expecting him to confirm that he and John are not involved in that way but Sherlock appears oblivious to what's being insinuated. Mrs Hudson walks across to the kitchen, then turns back and frowns at Sherlock.**

"Freaks probably just pretending to be oblivious," Donovan muttered causing everyone else to glare over at her. 

"My brother sadly doesn't understand emotions, because of his Asperger," Mycroft shook his head as he spoke and his hand tightened ever so slightly on his cane. 

"Of course the freak has a mental illness," Donovan muttered, once again causing everyone to glare at her and John's fingers to curl into a fist as he glares heatedly at the Sargent. 

**MRS HUDSON: Oh, Sherlock. The mess you've made.**

**She goes into the kitchen and starts tidying up, and John walks over to one of the two armchairs,plumps up a cushion on the chair and then drops heavily down into it. He looks across to Sherlock who is still tidying up a little.**

**JOHN: I looked you up on the internet last night.  
** **SHERLOCK (turning around to him): Anything interesting?  
** **JOHN: Found your website, The Science of Deduction.  
** **SHERLOCK (smiling proudly): What did you think?  
** **(John throws him a "you have got to be kidding me" type of look. Sherlock looks hurt.)  
** **JOHN: You said you could identify a software designer by his tie and an airline pilot by his left thumb.  
** **SHERLOCK: Yes; and I can read your military career in your face and your leg, and your brother's drinking habits in your mobile phone.  
** **JOHN: How?**

**Sherlock smiles and turns away. Mrs Hudson comes out of the kitchen reading a newspaper.**

**MRS HUDSON: What about these suicides than, Sherlock? I thought that'd be right up your street. Three exactly the same.**

**Sherlock walks over to the window of the living room at the sound of a car pulling up outside.**

**SHERLOCK: Four.  
** **(He looks down at the car as someone gets out of it. The vehicle is a police car with its lights flashing on the roof.)  
**

"So that's how he knew," Lestrade mutters almost thoughtfully.

"How did you know where he would be, we only just moved in," John asks, finally releasing it. 

"He sent me a text earlier,"

**SHERLOCK: There's been a fourth. And there's something different this time.  
** **MRS HUDSON: A fourth?**

**(Sherlock turns as D.I. Lestrade trots up the stairs and comes into the living room.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Where?  
** **LESTRADE: Brixton, Lauriston Gardens.  
** **SHERLOCK: What's new about this one? You wouldn't have come to get me if there wasn't something different.  
**

**LESTRADE: You know how they never leave notes?  
** **SHERLOCK: Yeah.  
** **LESTRADE: This one did. Will you come?  
**

**SHERLOCK: Who's on forensics?  
** **LESTRADE: It's Anderson.  
**

**SHERLOCK (grimacing): Anderson won't work with me.  
**

**LESTRADE: Well, he won't be your assistant.  
** **SHERLOCK: I _need_ an assistant.**

"Why does he need an assistant, we never did find that out," Anderson mutters and John frowns, remembering something Sherlock had said to him long ago. 

"He likes talking aloud," John muttered though not really giving an answer.

**LESTRADE: Will you come?  
** **SHERLOCK: Not in a police car. I'll be right behind.  
** **LESTRADE: Thank you.**

**Looking round at John and Mrs Hudson for a moment, he turns and hurries off down the stairs. Sherlock waits until he has reached the front door, then leaps into the air and clenches his fists triumphantly before twirling around the room happily.**

**SHERLOCK: Brilliant! Yes! Ah, four serial suicides, and now a note! Oh, it's Christmas!**

"Only a freak like him would be so excited about deaths," Donovan muttered.

"I don't know, I mean he did wait for Lestrade to leave the room, that has to count for something!" Molly defends causing Donovan to snort but she wisely doesn't reply. 

"Surely even someone like yourself Sally, should wonder, if my brother, like you say, made up all these crimes, then why was he so excited with each new case."

**(Picking up his scarf and coat he starts to put them on while heading for the kitchen.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Mrs Hudson, I'll be late. Might need some food.  
** **MRS HUDSON: I'm your landlady, dear, not your housekeeper.  
** **SHERLOCK: Something cold will do. John, have a cup of tea, make yourself at home. Don't wait up!**

**Grabbing a small leather pouch from the kitchen table, he opens the kitchen door and disappears from view. Mrs Hudson turns back to John.**

**MRS HUDSON: Look at him, dashing about! _My_ husband was just the same.  
** **(John grimaces at her repeated implication that he and Sherlock are an item.)**

Everyone chuckles slightly, either it be at Mrs Hudson's repeated implication or John's face it doesn't matter. 

**MRS HUDSON: But you're more the sitting-down type, I can tell.  
** **(John looks uncomfortable.)  
** **MRS HUDSON (turning towards the door): I'll make you that cuppa. You rest your leg.  
** **JOHN (loudly): _Damn_ my leg!**

"John!" Molly mutters and said army doctor grimaces slightly.

**(His response was instinctive and he is immediately apologetic even as Mrs Hudson turns back to him in shock.)  
** **JOHN: Sorry, I'm so sorry. It's just sometimes this bloody thing ...  
** **(He bashes his leg with his cane.)  
** **MRS HUDSON: I understand, dear; I've got a hip.  
** **(She turns towards the door again.)  
** **JOHN: Cup of tea'd be lovely, thank you.  
**

**MRS HUDSON: Just this once, dear. I'm not your housekeeper.  
** **JOHN: Couple of biscuits too, if you've got 'em.  
** **MRS HUDSON: Not your housekeeper!**

Mrs Hudson's antics have everyone at least smiling happily at the screen.

**John has picked up the newspaper which Mrs Hudson put down and now he looks at the article reporting Beth Davenport's apparent suicide. Next to a large photograph of Beth is a smaller one showing the man who just visited the flat and identifying him as D.I. Lestrade. Before he can read on, Sherlock's voice interrupts him and John looks up and sees him standing at the living room door.**

**SHERLOCK: You're a doctor. In fact you're an Army doctor.  
** **JOHN: Yes.  
** **(He gets to his feet and turns towards Sherlock as he comes back into the room again.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Any good?  
** **JOHN: _Very_ good.  
** **SHERLOCK: Seen a lot of injuries, then; violent deaths.  
** **JOHN: Mmm, yes.  
** **SHERLOCK: Bit of trouble too, I bet.  
** **JOHN (quietly): Of course, yes. Enough for a lifetime. Far too much.  
** **SHERLOCK: Wanna see some more?  
** **JOHN (fervently): Oh _God_ , yes.**

"Your a freak as well!" Donovan screeches, pointing her look of disgust at John who in turns just rolls his eyes. 

"Sally, shut up." Lestrade snaps.

_**(Sherlock spins on his heel and leads John out of the room and down the stairs. John calls out as he follows him down.)  
** _ **JOHN: Sorry, Mrs Hudson, I'll skip the tea. Off out.  
** **MRS HUDSON (standing near the bottom of the stairs): Both of you?  
** **_(Sherlock has almost reached the front door but now turns and walks back towards her.)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK: Impossible suicides? Four of them? There's no point sitting at home when there's finally something _fun_ going on!  
** **(He takes her by the shoulders and kisses her noisily on the cheek.)  
** **MRS HUDSON: Look at you, all happy. It's not decent.  
** **(She can't help but smile, though, as he turns away and heads for the front door again.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Who cares about decent? The game, Mrs Hudson, is on!  
** **(He walks out onto the street and hails an approaching black cab.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Taxi!**

**The taxi pulls up alongside and he and John get in, then the car drives off again and heads for Brixton. The boys sit in silence for a long time while Sherlock sits with his eyes fixed on his smartphone and John keeps stealing nervous glances at him. Finally Sherlock lowers his phone.**

**SHERLOCK: Okay, you've got questions.  
** **JOHN: Yeah, where are we going?  
** **SHERLOCK: Crime scene. Next?**

"Wasn't that obvious?" Anderson mutters and John nods slightly, embarrassed that he had asked such an obvious question.

**JOHN: Who are you? What do you do?  
** **SHERLOCK: What do you think?  
** **JOHN (slowly, hesitantly): I'd say private detective ...  
** **SHERLOCK: But?  
** **JOHN: ... but the police don't go to private detectives.  
** **SHERLOCK: I'm a _consulting_ detective. Only one in the world. I invented the job.  
** **JOHN: What does that mean?  
** **SHERLOCK: It means when the police are out of their depth, which is always, they consult me.**

"HEY!" The Yarders call out, but deep down, some deeper than the others (*cough*Sally*cough*) can't help but agree at his words. 

**JOHN: The police don't consult amateurs.  
** **(Sherlock throws him a look.)  
** **SHERLOCK: When I met you for the first time yesterday, I said, "Afghanistan or Iraq?" You looked surprised.  
** **JOHN: Yes, how _did_ you know?  
** **SHERLOCK: I didn't know, I saw. Your haircut, the way you hold yourself, says military. But your conversation as you entered the room ...  
** **(Flashback to the lab at Bart's)  
** **JOHN (looking around the lab): Bit different from my day.  
** **SHERLOCK: ... said trained at Bart's, so Army doctor – obvious. Your face is tanned but no tan above the wrists. You've been abroad, but not sunbathing. Your limp's really bad when you walk but you don't ask for a chair when you stand, like you've forgotten about it, so it's at least partly psychosomatic. That says the original circumstances of the injury were traumatic. Wounded in action, then. Wounded in action, suntan – Afghanistan or Iraq.  
** **(He loudly clicks the 'k' sound at the end of the final word.)  
** **JOHN: You said I had a therapist.  
** **SHERLOCK: You've got a psychosomatic limp – of _course_ you've got a therapist. Then there's your brother.  
** **JOHN: Hmm?  
** **SHERLOCK (holding out his hand): Your phone. It's expensive, e-mail enabled, MP3 player, but you're looking for a flatshare – you wouldn't waste money on this. It's a gift, then.  
**

**(By now John has given him the phone and he turns it over and looks at it again as he talks.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Scratches. Not one, many over time. It's been in the same pocket as keys and coins. The man sitting next to me wouldn't treat his one luxury item like this, so it's had a previous owner. Next bit's easy. You know it already.  
** **JOHN: The engraving.  
** **(We see that engraved on the back of the phone are the words**

**###**

**Harry Watson  
** **From Clara  
** **xxx**

**###**

**SHERLOCK: Harry Watson: clearly a family member who's given you his old phone. Not your father; this is a young man's gadget. _Could_ be a cousin, but you're a war hero who can't find a place to live. Unlikely you've got an extended family, certainly not one you're close to, so brother it is. Now, Clara. Who's Clara? Three kisses says it's a romantic attachment. The expense of the phone says wife, not girlfriend. She must have given it to him recently – this model's only six months old. Marriage in trouble then – six months on he's just given it away. If she'd left _him_ , he'd have kept it. People do – sentiment. But no, he wanted rid of it. He left _her_. He gave the phone to _you_ : that says he wants you to stay in touch. You're looking for cheap accommodation, but you're not going to your brother for help: that says you've got problems with him. Maybe you liked his wife; maybe you _don't_ like his drinking.  
** **JOHN: How can you _possibly_ know about the drinking?  
**

**SHERLOCK (smiling): Shot in the dark. Good one, though.**

John snorted at that, but a soft smile creeps onto his lips as he watched the scene unfold remembering his confusion back then. 

**Sherlock (CONTD, smiling): Power connection: tiny little scuff marks around the edge of it. Every night he goes to plug it in to charge but his hands are shaking. You never see those marks on a sober man's phone; never see a drunk's without them.**

**(He hands the phone back.)  
** **SHERLOCK: There you go, you see – you were right.**

"What? John was right?" Anderson blurts out, confusion lacing his voice. 

**JOHN: _I_ was right? Right about what?  
** **SHERLOCK: The police don't consult amateurs.  
** **(He looks out of the side window, biting his lip nervously while he awaits John's reaction.)  
** **JOHN: That ... was amazing.  
** **(Sherlock looks round, apparently so surprised that he can't even reply for the next four seconds.)**

"Why does the freak care what John would think?" The Sargent asks. 

"Because of people like you," John snaps, "And stop calling him a freak!"

**SHERLOCK: Do you think so?  
** **JOHN: Of _course_ it was. It was extraordinary; it was quite extraordinary.  
** **SHERLOCK: That's not what people normally say.  
** **JOHN: What do people normally say?  
** **SHERLOCK: 'Piss off'!**

"Poor Sherlock," Mrs Hudson and Molly both mutter. Though the older of the two says it a bit louder. 

**(He smiles briefly at John, who grins and turns away to look out of the window as the journey continues.)**

_** BRIXTON.  
** _ **The cab has arrived at Lauriston Gardens and Sherlock and John get out and walk towards the police tape strung across the road.**

**SHERLOCK: Did I get anything wrong?**

"Sherlock never asks if he gets anything wrong," Lestrade mutters but everyone hears him clearly.

**JOHN: Harry and me don't get on, never have. Clara and Harry split up three months ago and they're getting a divorce; and Harry is a drinker.  
** **SHERLOCK (looking impressed with himself): Spot on, then. I didn't expect to be right about everything.  
** **JOHN: And Harry's short for Harriet.  
** **(Sherlock stops dead in his tracks.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Harry's your sister.  
** **JOHN (continuing onwards): Look, what exactly am I supposed to be doing here?  
** **SHERLOCK (furiously, through gritted teeth): _Sister!  
_** **JOHN: No, seriously, what am I doing here?  
** **SHERLOCK (exasperated, starting to walk again): There's always something.**

"When has there ever been something?" Anderson asks, but no one has the answer. Not even Mycroft. 

**(They approach the police tape where they are met by Sergeant Donovan.)  
** **DONOVAN: Hello, freak.  
** **SHERLOCK: I'm here to see Detective Inspector Lestrade.  
** **DONOVAN: Why?  
** **SHERLOCK: I was invited.  
** **DONOVAN: _Why?  
_** **SHERLOCK (sarcastically): I think he wants me to take a look.  
** **DONOVAN: Well, you know what _I_ think, don't you?  
** **SHERLOCK (lifting the tape and ducking underneath it): Always, Sally. (He breathes in through his nose.) I even know you didn't make it home last night.**

Donovan and Anderson both blush slightly, remembering what happened afterwards. 

"Oh, hey I'm about to be in it!" Anderson says trying to get rid of the embarrassment, or at lest make sure no one knows about it. 

**DONOVAN: I don't ... (She looks at John.) Er, who's this?  
** **SHERLOCK: Colleague of mine, Doctor Watson.  
** **(He turns to John.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Doctor Watson, Sergeant Sally Donovan. _(His voice drips with sarcasm.)_ Old friend.  
** **DONOVAN: A colleague? How do _you_ get a colleague?!  
** **(She turns to John.)  
** **DONOVAN: What, did he follow you home?**

**JOHN: Would it be better if I just waited and ...  
** **SHERLOCK (lifting the tape for him): No.  
** **(As John walks under the tape, Donovan lifts a radio to her mouth.)  
** **DONOVAN (into radio): Freak's here. Bringing him in.**

**She leads the boys towards one of the houses. Sherlock looks all around the area and at the ground as they approach. As they reach the pavement, a man wearing a coverall over his clothes comes out of the house.**

**SHERLOCK: Ah, Anderson. Here we are again.  
** **(Anderson looks at him with distaste.)  
** **ANDERSON: It's a crime scene. I don't want it contaminated. Are we clear on that?  
** **SHERLOCK (taking in another deep breath through his nose): Quite clear. And is your wife away for long?  
** **ANDERSON: Oh, don't pretend you worked that out. Somebody told you that.  
** **SHERLOCK: Your deodorant told me that.  
** **ANDERSON: My deodorant?  
** **SHERLOCK (with a quirky expression on his face): It's for men.**

"Why would Sherlock say something like that?" Lestrade asks causing the two other Yarders to go red, causing the Detective Inspector to frown. 

**ANDERSON: Well, of _course_ it's for men! _I'm_ wearing it!  
** **SHERLOCK: So's Sergeant Donovan.**

"Is he?" Lestrade trails off, as he notices his colleagues embarrassed looks and sighs. 

**(Anderson looks round in shock at Donovan. Sherlock sniffs pointedly.)  
** **SHERLOCK: Ooh, and I think it just vaporised. May I go in?  
** **ANDERSON (turning back and pointing at him angrily): Now look: whatever you're trying to imply ...  
** **SHERLOCK: I'm not implying _anything.  
_** **(He heads past Donovan towards the front door.)  
** **SHERLOCK: I'm sure Sally came round for a nice little chat, and just happened to stay over.  
** **(He turns back.)  
**

**SHERLOCK: And I assume she scrubbed your floors, going by the state of her knees.** **  
**

**Anderson and Donovan stare at him in horror. He smiles smugly, then turns and goes into the house. John walks past Sally, briefly but pointedly looking down to her knees, then follows Sherlock inside. Sherlock leads him into a room on the ground floor where Lestrade is putting on a coverall. Sherlock points to a pile of similar items.**

**SHERLOCK (to John): You need to wear one of these.  
** **LESTRADE: Who's this?  
** **SHERLOCK (taking off his gloves): He's with me.  
** **LESTRADE: But who _is_ he?  
** **SHERLOCK: I _said_ he's with me.**

"That doesn't mean you can just bring him to a crime scene," 

**John has taken off his jacket and picks up a coverall. He looks at Sherlock who has picked up a pair of latex gloves.**

**JOHN (referring to the coverall): Aren't you gonna put one on?**

**(Sherlock just looks at him sternly. John shakes his head as if to say, 'Silly me. What was I thinking?!')**

**SHERLOCK (to Lestrade): So where are we?  
** **LESTRADE (picking up another pair of latex gloves): Upstairs. **


	3. The Pink Lady (01x01 part 2/4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

**Lestrade leads the boys up a circular staircase. He and John are wearing coveralls together with white cotton coverings over their shoes, and latex gloves. Sherlock is putting on latex gloves as they go up the stairs.**

**LESTRADE: I can give you two minutes.   
** **SHERLOCK _(casually)_ : May need longer. **

John snorts at that, "As if Sherlock would need any longer than that." 

**LESTRADE: Her name's Jennifer Wilson according to her credit cards. We're running them now for contact details. Hasn't been here long. Some kids found her. **

**He leads them into a room two storeys above the ground floor. The room is empty of furniture except for a rocking horse in the far corner. Emergency portable lighting has been set up, presumably by the police. Scaffolding poles hold up part of the ceiling near where a couple of large holes have been knocked through one of the walls. A woman's body is lying face down on the bare floorboards in the middle of the room. She is wearing a bright pink overcoat and high-heeled pink shoes. Her hands are flat on the floor either side of her head. Sherlock walks a few steps into the room and then stops, holding one hand out in front of himself as he focuses on the corpse. Behind him, John looks at the woman's body and his face fills with pain and sadness. The three of them stand there silently for several long seconds, then Sherlock looks across to Lestrade.**

**SHERLOCK: Shut up. **

Everyone who wasn't there blinked in shock, expect for Mycroft who jut shook his head at his younger brother.

**LESTRADE _(startled)_ : I didn't say anything.   
SHERLOCK: You were thinking. It's annoying. **

**Lestrade and John exchange a surprised look as Sherlock steps slowly forward until he reaches the side of the corpse. His attention is immediately drawn to the fact that scratched into the floorboards near the woman's left hand is the word "Rache". His eyes flick to her fingernails where the index and middle nails are broken and ragged at the ends, the pink nail polish chipped in stark comparison to her other nails which are still immaculate. The woman's index finger rests at the bottom of the 'e' as if she was still trying to carve into the floor when she died. Sherlock makes an instant deduction:  
  
###**

**left handed**

**###**

"Wait, what the fuck is that?" Almost everyone screeched as they stare at the white words that had appeared. Though no one bothers to even try and answer the questions, to shocked to speak as they stared at the screen. After a couple of seconds, of everyone in shocked silence, the screen turns black and words appear.

\---

**The white words are their so you can understand how Sherlock got to he's conclusion a.k.a an insight into Sherlock's mind**

\---

The screen goes back to the scene before.

**He looks back to the word carved into the floorboards and an immediate suggestion springs into his mind:**

**###**

**RACHE  
 _German_ _(n.)_ revenge**

**###**

"Hey! That's what I said!" Anderson called out.

**Instantly he shakes his head in a tiny dismissive movement and the suggestion disappears. He looks at the carved word again and overlays the five letters with a clearer type. Next to the 'e' a rapid progression of letters appear and disappear as he tries to complete the word, then the correct letter settles into place to form the word:**

**###**

**Rachel**

**###**

**He squats down beside the body and runs his gloved hand along the back of her coat, then lifts his hand again to look at his fingers:**

**###**

**wet**

**###**

**He reaches into her coat pockets and finds a white folding umbrella in one of them. Running his fingers along the folds of the material, he then inspects his glove again:**

**###**

**dry**

**###**

**Putting the umbrella back into her pocket, he moves up to the collar of her coat and runs his fingers underneath it before again looking at his fingers:**

**###**

**wet**

**###**

**Reaching into his pocket he takes out a small magnifier, clicks it open and closely inspects the delicate gold bracelet on her left wrist ...**

**###**

**clean**

**###**

**... then the gold earring attached to her right ear ...**

**###**

**clean**

**###**

**... and then the gold chain around her neck ...**

**###**

**clean**

**###**

**... before moving on to look at the rings on her left ring finger. The wedding ring and engagement ring flag a different message to him:**

**###**

**dirty**

**###**

**Sherlock blinks as a rapid succession of conclusions appear in front of his eyes:**

**###**

**married  
** **unhappily married  
** **unhappily married 10+ years**

**###**

**Carefully Sherlock works the wedding ring off the woman's finger and holds it up to look at the inside of the ring. While the outside of the ring is still showing**

**###**

**dirty**

**###**

**the inside registers as**

**###**

**clean**

**###**

**As Sherlock lowers the ring and slides it back onto the woman's finger, he has already reached a conclusion about the ring:**

**###**

**regularly removed**

**###**

**Lifting his hands away from the woman, he looks down at her and makes his final deduction about her:**

**###**

**serial adulterer**

**###**

**He smiles slightly in satisfaction.**

**LESTRADE: Got anything?   
SHERLOCK _(nonchalantly)_ : Not much.**

"Not much? I'd say he'd got everything!" Lestrade announces shocked and John frowns. 

**_(Standing up, he takes off the gloves and then gets his mobile phone from his pocket and begins typing on it.)_   
ANDERSON _(from where he is leaning casually against the doorway)_ : She's German. 'Rache': it's German for 'revenge.' She could be trying to tell us something ...   
_(While he was speaking, Sherlock has walked quickly towards the door and now begins to close it in Anderson's face.)_   
SHERLOCK _(sarcastically)_ : Yes, thank you for your input.**

"Manners, Sherlock," Mrs Hudson muttered.

**Slamming the door shut, he turns and walks back into the room. On his phone, he has called up a menu for _"UK Weather"_. The menu offers five options:**

**###**

**Maps  
** **Local  
** **Warnings  
** **Next 24 hrs  
** **7 day forecast**

**###**

**He selects the Maps option.**

**LESTRADE: So she's German?   
SHERLOCK _(still looking at his phone)_ : Of course she's not. She's from out of town, though. Intended to stay in London for one night ... _(he smiles smugly when he apparently finds the information he needed)_ ... before returning home to Cardiff.   
_(He pockets his phone.)_   
SHERLOCK: So far, so obvious. **

"Well when you watch it like this then it is fairly obvious," Molly commented.

"It was obvious before all you have to do is look," annoyed glares were thrown at Mycroft because of his words. 

"Not another one!" Donovan protested. 

**JOHN: Sorry – obvious?   
LESTRADE: What about the message, though?   
SHERLOCK _(ignoring him and looking at John)_ : Doctor Watson, what do you think?   
JOHN: Of the message?   
SHERLOCK: Of the body. You're a medical man.   
LESTRADE: Wait, no, we have a whole team right outside.   
SHERLOCK: They won't work with me.   
LESTRADE: I'm breaking every rule letting _you_ in here.   
SHERLOCK: Yes ... because you need me.   
_(Lestrade stares at him for a moment, then lowers his eyes helplessly.)_   
LESTRADE: Yes, I do. God help me.   
SHERLOCK: Doctor Watson.   
JOHN: Hm?   
_(He looks up from the body to Sherlock and then turns his head towards Lestrade, silently seeking his permission.)_   
LESTRADE _(a little tetchily)_ : Oh, do as he says. Help yourself.   
_(He turns and opens the door, going outside.)_   
LESTRADE: Anderson, keep everyone out for a couple of minutes. **

**Sherlock and John walk over to the body. Sherlock squats down on one side of it and John painfully lowers himself to one knee on the other side, leaning heavily on his cane to support himself.**

"Oh John," Mrs Hudson says, glancing down at John's knee. 

"Don't worry, it stopped hurting soon after I met Sherlock," John replied, a soft smile on his face.

"How the hell did the freak help you with your limp?" Donovan snaps, but John pointedly ignored her. Whether because of the freak comment or because he just hates her nobody knows. 

**SHERLOCK: Well?   
JOHN _(softly)_ : What am I doing here?   
SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : Helping me make a point.   
JOHN _(softly)_ : I'm supposed to be helping you pay the rent.   
SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : Yeah, well, this is more fun. **

"Freak,"

**JOHN: Fun? There's a woman lying dead.   
SHERLOCK: Perfectly sound analysis, but I _was_ hoping you'd go deeper. **

**Lestrade comes back into the room and stands just inside the doorway, and John drags his other leg down into a kneeling position and then leans forward to look more closely at the woman's body. He puts his head close to hers and sniffs, then straightens a little before lifting her right hand and looking at the skin. He kneels up and looks across to Sherlock.**

**JOHN: Yeah ... Asphyxiation, probably. Passed out, choked on her own vomit. Can't smell any alcohol on her. It could have been a seizure; possibly drugs.   
SHERLOCK: You know what it was. You've read the papers.   
JOHN: What, she's one of the suicides? The fourth ...?   
LESTRADE: Sherlock – two minutes, I said. I need anything you've got.   
SHERLOCK _(standing up, while John struggles to get to his feet)_ : Victim is in her late thirties. Professional person, going by her clothes; I'm guessing something in the media, going by the frankly alarming shade of pink. Travelled from Cardiff today, intending to stay in London for one night. It's obvious from the size of her suitcase.   
LESTRADE: Suitcase? **

"What suitcase? There is no suitcase there." Molly asks curiously. 

"Well of course Sherlock knows that theres a suitcase, I mean the freak is behind it all," Donovan's use of the word Sherlock, caused a soft smile to come to the Yarders only to harden once again when she said freak. 

"Sherlock was not behind anything!" John argued almost instantly, defending his best friend. 

**_(John looks around the room but can't see a suitcase anywhere.)_   
SHERLOCK: Suitcase, yes. She's been married at least ten years, but not happily. She's had a string of lovers but none of them knew she was married.   
LESTRADE: Oh, for God's sake, if you're just making this up ...   
SHERLOCK _(pointing down to her left hand)_ : Her wedding ring. Ten years old at least. The rest of her jewellery has been regularly cleaned, but not her wedding ring. State of her marriage right there. The inside of the ring is shinier than the outside – that means it's regularly removed. The only polishing it gets is when she works it off her finger. It's not for work; look at her nails. She doesn't work with her hands, so what or rather who _does_ she remove her rings for? Clearly not _one_ lover; she'd never sustain the fiction of being single over that amount of time, so more likely a string of them. Simple.   
JOHN _(admiringly)_ : That's brilliant. **

"You stopped doing that," Lestrade mutters, causing John to raise an eyebrow at him. "You stopped saying praises about what Sherlock does," He elebrated and John shrugged, not knowing what to say.

 ** _(Sherlock looks round at him.)_ **  
**JOHN: Sorry.   
LESTRADE: Cardiff?   
SHERLOCK: It's obvious, isn't it?   
JOHN: It's not obvious to me.   
SHERLOCK _(pausing as he looks at the other two)_ : Dear God, what is it like in your funny little brains? It must be so boring.   
_(He turns back to the body.)_   
SHERLOCK: Her coat: it's slightly damp. She's been in heavy rain in the last few hours. No rain anywhere in London in that time. Under her coat collar is damp, too. She's turned it up against the wind. She's got an umbrella in her left-hand pocket but it's dry and unused: not just wind, _strong_ wind – too strong to use her umbrella. We know from her suitcase that she was intending to stay overnight, so she must have come a decent distance but she can't have travelled more than two or three hours because her coat still hasn't dried. So, where has there been heavy rain and strong wind within the radius of that travel time? ** **He gets his phone from his pocket and shows to the other two the webpage he was looking at earlier, displaying today's weather for the southern part of Britain.**

**SHERLOCK: Cardiff.   
JOHN: That's fantastic!   
SHERLOCK _(turning to him and speaking in a low voice)_ : D'you know you do that out loud?   
JOHN: Sorry. I'll shut up.   
SHERLOCK: No, it's ... fine.   
LESTRADE: Why d'you keep saying suitcase?   
SHERLOCK _(spinning around in a circle to look around the room)_ : Yes, where is it? She must have had a phone or an organiser. Find out who Rachel is.   
LESTRADE: She was writing 'Rachel'?   
SHERLOCK _(sarcastically)_ : No, she was leaving an angry note in German(!) Of _course_ she was writing Rachel; no other word it can be. Question is: why did she wait until she was dying to write it?   
LESTRADE: How d'you know she had a suitcase?   
SHERLOCK _(pointing down to the body, where her tights have small black splotches on the lower part of her right leg)_ : Back of the right leg: tiny splash marks on the heel and calf, not present on the left. She was dragging a wheeled suitcase behind her with her right hand. Don't get that splash pattern any other way. Smallish case, going by the spread. Case that size, woman this clothes-conscious: could only be an overnight bag, so we know she was staying one night.   
_(He squats down by the woman's body and examines the backs of her legs more closely.)_   
SHERLOCK: Now, where is it? What have you done with it?   
LESTRADE: There wasn't a case.   
_(Slowly Sherlock raises his head and frowns up at Lestrade.)_   
SHERLOCK: Say that again.   
LESTRADE: There wasn't a case. There was never any suitcase.   
_(Immediately Sherlock straightens up and heads for the door, calling out to all the police officers in the house as he begins to hurry down the stairs.)_   
SHERLOCK: Suitcase! Did anyone find a suitcase? Was there a suitcase in this house?   
_(Lestrade and John follow him out and stop on the landing. Lestrade calls down the stairs.)_   
LESTRADE: Sherlock, there was no case!   
SHERLOCK _(slowing down, but still making his way down the stairs)_ : But they take the poison themselves; they chew, swallow the pills themselves. There are clear signs. Even you lot couldn't miss them.   
LESTRADE: Right, yeah, thanks(!) _And_ ...?   
SHERLOCK: It's murder, all of them. I don't know how, but they're not suicides, they're killings – _serial_ killings.   
_(He holds his hands up in front of his face in delight.)_   
SHERLOCK: We've got ourselves a serial killer. I _love_ those. There's always something to look forward to. **

"Freak," Donovan muttered for the umptith time, causing John to once again glare at her as his fists tighten. John shifts slightly, though before he can lunge at Donovan, chains wrap around his wrists, keeping him in place. 

"Don't call him a freak!" John snaps, as he settles down a little causing the chains to loosen. 

**LESTRADE: Why are you saying that?   
SHERLOCK _(stopping and calling up to the others)_ : Her case! Come on, where is her case? Did she eat it?(!) Someone else was here, and they took her case. _(More quietly, as if talking to himself)_ So the killer must have driven her here; forgot the case was in the car.   
JOHN: She could have checked into a hotel, left her case there.   
SHERLOCK _(looking up the stairs again)_ : No, she never got to the hotel. Look at her hair. She colour-coordinates her lipstick and her shoes. She'd never have left any hotel with her hair still looking ...   
_(He stops talking as he makes a realisation.)_   
SHERLOCK: Oh.   
_(His eyes widen and his face lights up.)_   
SHERLOCK: _Oh!  
(He claps his hands together in delight.)_   
JOHN: Sherlock?   
LESTRADE _(leaning over the railings)_ : What is it, what?   
SHERLOCK _(smiling cheerfully to himself)_ : Serial killers are always hard. You have to wait for them to make a mistake.   
LESTRADE: We can't just wait!   
SHERLOCK: Oh, we're _done_ waiting!   
_(He starts to hurry down the stairs again.)_   
SHERLOCK: Look at her, really _look_! Houston, we _have_ a mistake. **

"... that's not the reference," Anderson pointed out, 

"I'm suprised that Sherlock even knows part of the reference." John mused. 

**SHERLOCK (CONTD): Get on to Cardiff: find out who Jennifer Wilson's family and friends were. Find Rachel!  
** **_(He reaches the bottom of the stairs and disappears from view.)  
_ ** **LESTRADE _(calling after him)_ : Of course, yeah – but what mistake?!   
** **_(Sherlock comes back into view and runs up a couple of stairs so that he can be seen before he stops and yells up to Lestrade.)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK: _PINK!_**

**He hurries off again.**

"What about John?" Molly asks curiously as she stares up at the screen. 

"He left John, he does that," Donovan answered, causing Molly to frown. 

"Don't worry, he stopped doing it as much, he was probably just used to being by himself," John added, but not before a glare is thrown at Donovan. 

**Lestrade, baffled, turns and goes back into the room while Anderson and his team, who had been waiting on the next landing down, hurry up the stairs and follow him into the room.**

**ANDERSON: Let's get on with it. **

**Forgotten by everyone else, John hesitates on the landing for a moment and then slowly starts making his way down the stairs. A couple more police officers hurry up and one of them bumps against him, throwing him off-balance and making him lurch heavily against the banisters. The man hurries on without a word, although his colleague does at least look apologetically at John as he passes. John regains his balance and continues down the stairs. Shortly afterwards he has removed his coverall and put his jacket back on, and now walks out onto the street. Looking all around, he can see no sign of Sherlock. He walks towards the police tape, still looking around. Donovan, standing at the tape, sees him.**

**DONOVAN: He's gone.   
JOHN: Who, Sherlock Holmes?   
DONOVAN: Yeah, he just took off. He does that.   
JOHN: Is he coming back?   
DONOVAN: Didn't look like it.   
JOHN: Right.   
_(He looks around the area again thoughtfully, unsure what to do.)_   
JOHN: Right ... Yes.   
_(He turns to Donovan again.)_   
JOHN: Sorry, where am I?   
DONOVAN: Brixton.**

"You didn't know where you were?" Anderson asked curiously, turning around to stare at the doctor. 

"No, not really, I mean I wasn't exactly listening when Greg said where the crime scene was and I never heard Sherlock talking to the taxi," John explained, feeling like an idiot. 

**JOHN: Right. Er, d'you know where I could get a cab? It's just, er ... well ... _(he looks down awkwardly at his walking stick)_ ... my leg.   
DONOVAN: Er ... _(she steps over to the tape and lifts it for him)_ ... try the main road.   
JOHN _(ducking under the tape)_ : Thanks.   
DONOVAN: But you're not his friend.   
_(John turns back towards her.)_   
DONOVAN: He doesn't _have_ friends. So who _are_ you?   
JOHN: I'm ... I'm nobody. I just met him.   
DONOVAN: Okay, bit of advice then: stay away from that guy.   
JOHN: Why?   
DONOVAN: You know why he's here? He's not paid or anything. He likes it. He gets off on it. The weirder the crime, the more he gets off. And you know what? One day just showing up won't be enough. One day we'll be standing round a body and Sherlock Holmes'll be the one that put it there. **

"Why would you say something so awful?" Molly asks turning to face the Sargent. 

"It's true aint it? All those bodies were because of Sherlock, why do you people keep forgetting that he was behind everything?" Donovan replied, her voice calm as she rolled her eyes. 

"Maybe because it's not true!" John hissed, and open his mouth to speak. But was cut off by Mycroft. 

"The only body that my brother put, was his own," An awkward sad silence filled the room as they all turned to the screen. 

**JOHN: Why would he do that?   
DONOVAN: Because he's a psychopath. And psychopaths get bored. **

"High functioning sociopath," Anderson, John, Lestrade, Molly and Mrs Hudson almost immediantly correct her, speaking in unsion, give or a take a couple seconds. 

**LESTRADE _(calling from the entrance to the house)_ : Donovan!   
DONOVAN _(turning and calling to him)_ : Coming.   
_(She turns back towards John as she walks towards the house.)_   
DONOVAN: Stay away from Sherlock Holmes.**

**John watches her go for a moment, then turns and begins to limp off down the road. To his right, the phone in a public telephone box begins to ring. He stops and looks at it for a few seconds but then looks down at his watch, shakes his head and continues down the road. The phone stops ringing.**

"Cause that's not creepy," Anderson muttered under his breath.

**Not long afterwards, John is walking down what may well be Brixton High Road. He tries to hail a passing taxi.**

**JOHN: Taxi! Taxi ... **

**The taxi passes him by. In Chicken Cottage, the fast food restaurant outside which John is standing, the payphone on the wall begins to ring. John turns and looks as one of the serving staff walks over to it but as he reaches for the phone, it stops. John walks on down the road and shortly afterwards approaches another public telephone box. The phone inside starts to ring. Mystified by this, he pulls open the door, goes inside and lifts the phone.**

"Why would you answer it?" Lestrade asked causing John to shrug. 

"It only seemed to ring when I was near it, so I was curious,"

 **JOHN: Hello?   
_(A man's voice speaks down the phone.)_   
MAN's VOICE: There is a security camera on the building to your left. Do you see it?  
** **JOHN _(frowning)_ : Who's this? Who's speaking?   
** **MAN's VOICE: Do you see the camera, Doctor Watson?   
**

"Is that you Mycroft?" Molly asks curiously and Mycroft hums in comfermation. 

"Because that's not creepy and stalkerish at all." Anderson muttered causing everyone the eldest Holmes Brother to chuckle. 

**_(John looks through the window of the phone box at the CCTV camera high up on the wall of a nearby building.)_   
JOHN: Yeah, I see it.   
MAN's VOICE: Watch.   
_(The camera, which was pointing directly at the phone box, now swivels away.)_   
MAN's VOICE: There is another camera on the building opposite you. Do you see it?   
_(John looks across to the second camera, which is also pointed towards the phone box.)_   
JOHN: Mm-hm.   
_(The camera immediately swivels away.)_   
MAN's VOICE: And finally, at the top of the building on your right.   
_(John stares up into the third camera which is watching him but which now turns away.)_   
JOHN _(into phone)_ : How are you doing this?   
MAN's VOICE: Get into the car, Doctor Watson.   
_(A black car pulls up at the kerbside near the phone. The male driver gets out and opens the rear door.)_   
MAN's VOICE: I _would_ make some sort of threat, but I'm sure your situation is quite clear to you. **

"Please tell me you don't get into that car, and instead walk away like a normal person with any common sense!" Lestrade shouts and the other Yarders hum in agreement. John ducks his head sheepishly. 

**The phone goes dead. John puts it down and looks thoughtful for a long moment, then apparently decides that there's not much else he can do and turns to leave the phone box.** **A few moments later he is sitting in the back seat of the car as it pulls away and drives off. An attractive young woman is sitting beside him, her eyes fixed on her BlackBerry while she types on it. She is pretty much ignoring him.**

"NO COME ON!!!" The Yarders yell, throwing their hands up.

"That really wasn't smart John, what if it was a murderer or something?" Molly chatised, and John just smiled back at her sheepishly. 

**JOHN: Hello.   
WOMAN _(smiling brightly at him for a moment before returning her gaze to her phone)_ : Hi.   
JOHN: What's your name, then?   
WOMAN: Er ... Anthea.   
JOHN: Is that your real name?   
WOMAN _(smiling)_ : No.   
_(John nods, then twists to look out of the rear window briefly before turning back again.)_   
JOHN: I'm John.   
NOT-ANTHEA: Yes. I know.   
JOHN: Any point in asking where I'm going?   
NOT-ANTHEA: None at all ...   
_(She turns and smiles briefly at him, then looks back at her phone again.)_   
NOT-ANTHEA: ... John.   
JOHN: Okay.**

**Some time later, the car pulls into an almost-empty warehouse. A man in a suit is standing in the centre of the area, leaning nonchalantly on an umbrella while he watches the car stop and John get out. In front of the man is a straight-backed armless chair facing him. He gestures to it with the point of his umbrella as John limps towards him leaning heavily on his cane.**

"That's how you met Mycroft Holmes? That's so... dramatic!" Anderson asks and John shrugs as Mycrofts eyes narrow ever so slightly at him.

**MYCROFT: Have a seat, John.   
_(John continues towards him, his voice calm.)_   
JOHN: You know, I've got a phone.   
_(He looks round the warehouse.)_   
JOHN: I mean, very clever and all that, but, er ... you could just phone me. On my phone. **

Everyone but Mycroft chuckles slightly. Well when I say everything, I mean everyone that you can see clearly as the shadows surrounding the shadowy figure are also taking away the sound.

**_(He walks straight past the chair and stops a few paces in front of the man.)_   
MYCROFT: When one is avoiding the attention of Sherlock Holmes, one learns to be discreet, hence this place.   
_(His voice, which has had a pleasant smile in it so far, now becomes a little more stern towards the end of the next phrase.)_   
MYCROFT: The leg must be hurting you. Sit down.   
JOHN: I don't wanna sit down.**

"You sound like a five year old," Mrs Hudson commented causing John to blush slightly and everyone else laughing slightly. 

**_(The man looks at him curiously.)_   
MYCROFT: You don't seem very afraid.   
JOHN: You don't seem very frightening.   
_(The man chuckles.)_   
MYCROFT: Ah, yes. The bravery of the soldier. Bravery is by far the kindest word for stupidity, don't you think?   
_(He looks at John sternly.)_   
M: What is your connection to Sherlock Holmes?   
JOHN: I don't have one. I barely know him. I met him ...   
_(He looks away thoughtfully, then appears surprised as if he hadn't realised until now how little time has passed.)_   
JOHN: ... yesterday.   
MYCROFT: Mm, and since yesterday you've moved in with him and now you're solving crimes together. Might we expect a happy announcement by the end of the week? **

Donovan snorts and rolls her eyes as the others chuckle at John's expense.

**JOHN: Who _are_ you?   
MYCROFT: An interested party.   
JOHN: Interested in Sherlock? Why? I'm guessing you're not friends.   
MYCROFT: You've met him. How many 'friends' do you imagine he has? I am the closest thing to a friend that Sherlock Holmes is capable of having.   
JOHN: And what's that?   
MYCROFT: An enemy.**

"That's dramatic, but sadly true, or at least until John came along," Lestrade's voice gets quieter and more thoughtful the more he speaks. 

**JOHN: An enemy?   
MYCROFT: In _his_ mind, certainly. If you were to ask him, he'd probably say his _arch_ -enemy. He does love to be dramatic.   
_(John looks pointedly around the warehouse.)_   
JOHN _(sarcastically)_ : Well, thank God _you're_ above all that. **

No one speaks, but everyone chuckles at John's sarcastiasm.

 **Mycroft frowns at him. Just then John's phone trills a text alert. He immediately digs into his jacket pocket, takes out the phone and activates it, looking at the message while ignoring Mycroft in front of him. The message reads:** **  
**

**###**

**Baker Street.  
** **Come at once  
** **if convenient.  
** **SH**

**###**

"Since when was he nice and considerate?" Anderson asked, his voice borderlining shock. 

"Since he met John," Said doctor blushed heavily at this comment.

**MYCROFT: I hope I'm not distracting you.   
JOHN _(casually)_ : Not distracting me at all.   
_(He takes his time looking up from the phone before he pockets it.)_   
MYCROFT: Do you plan to continue your association with Sherlock Holmes?   
JOHN: I could be wrong, but I think that's none of your business.   
MYCROFT _(a little ominously)_ : It _could_ be. **

Lestrade groaned, "Why are you still there? I would of bailed long ago,"

**JOHN: It _really_ couldn't. **   
**_(The man takes a notebook from his inside pocket, then opens it and consults it as he speaks.)_ **   
**MYCROFT: If you _do_ move into, um ... two hundred and twenty-one _B_ Baker Street, I'd be happy to pay you a meaningful sum of money on a regular basis to ease your way. **   
**_(He closes the notebook and puts it away again.)_ **   
**JOHN: Why? **   
** MYCROFT: ** **Because you're not a wealthy man.**

"That's not very nice," Mrs Hudson chided, Mycrfot opened his mouth, probably to say something mean, but propemtly shut it as he remembered that she was extremely close to his late brother. 

**JOHN: In exchange for what? **   
**MYCROFT: Information. Nothing indiscreet. Nothing you'd feel ... uncomfortable with. Just tell me what he's up to. **   
**JOHN: Why? **   
**MYCROFT: I worry about him. Constantly. **   
**JOHN _(insincerely)_ : That's nice of you. **   
**MYCROFT: ** **But I would prefer for various reasons that my concern go unmentioned. We have what you might call a ... difficult relationship.**

**John's phone sounds another text alert. Again he immediately fishes the phone out and looks at the message which reads:** **  
**

**###**

**If inconvenient,  
come anyway.   
SH**

**###**

"And there's the Sherlock we all know,"

**JOHN _(in response to the man's offer)_ : No.   
MYCROFT: But I haven't mentioned a figure.   
JOHN _(putting his phone away again)_ : Don't bother.   
MYCROFT _(laughing briefly)_ : You're very loyal, _very_ quickly.   
JOHN: No, I'm not. I'm just not interested. **

"Did it ever cross your mind that John didn't want to accept the deal, because his an army doctor and has morals?" Anderson asked and Mycroft glares over at him. 

**_(Mycroft looks at him closely for a moment, then takes out his notebook and opens it again.)_   
MYCROFT _(gesturing slightly to make it clear that he is reading a note from the book)_ : "Trust issues," it says here. **

"What is that book?" Molly asks, a little unnerved. No one bothers to answer her, mostly as the only person who knows the answer was Mycroft, who couldn't be bother answering him.

**_(For the first time since their encounter began, John looks a little unnerved.)_   
JOHN: What's that?   
MYCROFT _(still looking down at his book)_ : Could it be that you've decided to trust Sherlock Holmes of all people?   
JOHN: Who says I trust him?   
MYCROFT: You don't seem the kind to make friends easily.   
JOHN: Are we done?   
_(Mycroft raises his head and looks into John's eyes.)_   
MYCROFT: You tell me.   
_(John looks at him for a long moment, then turns his back on him and starts to walk away.)_   
MYCROFT: I imagine people have already warned you to stay away from him, but I can see from your left hand that's not going to happen.   
_(John stops dead. His shoulders tense and drop and he angrily shakes his head a little. He is clearly furious as he turns back around to face the Mycroft.)_   
JOHN _(savagely, through bared teeth)_ : My wot?   
MYCROFT _(calmly)_ : Show me. **

"That could be taken two ways," Anderson muttered and Lestrade hits him over the head because of said comment. 

**He has nodded towards John's left hand as he speaks, and now he plants the tip of his umbrella on the floor and leans casually on it like a man who is used to having his orders obeyed. John, however, is not going to be intimidated and deliberately shifts his feet under him as if digging in. He raises his left hand, bending it at the elbow, and stands still. His message is clear: if Mycroft wants to look at his hand, he'll have to come to him. Apparently unperturbed by this belligerence, Mycroft strolls forward, hooking the handle of the umbrella over his arm as he reaches for John's hand. John instantly pulls his hand back a little.**

**JOHN _(tensely)_ : Don't. **

**Mycroft lowers his head and raises his eyebrows at John, almost as if saying, 'Did I mention trust issues?!' John very reluctantly lowers his hand, holding it out flat with the palm down. Mycroft takes it in both of his own hands and looks at it closely.**

**MYCROFT: Remarkable. **

"What could possibly be so remarkable about Johns hand?" Donovan asked, and like half a million other times, no one answers the question.

**JOHN _(snatching his hand away)_ : What is?   
MYCROFT _(turning and walking a few paces away)_ : Most people blunder round this city, and all they see are streets and shops and cars. When you walk with Sherlock Holmes, you see the battlefield. _(He turns towards John again.)_ You've seen it already, haven't you?   
JOHN: What's wrong with my hand?   
MYCROFT: You have an intermittent tremor in your left hand.   
_(Perhaps unintentionally, John nods his head.)_   
MYCROFT: Your therapist thinks it's post-traumatic stress disorder. She thinks you're haunted by memories of your military service. **

"Why wouldn't he be?" Lestrade asks, almost curiously. 

**_(John almost flinches as Mycroft accurately fires off these facts at him. His gaze is fixed ahead of him and a muscle in his cheek twitches repeatedly.)_   
JOHN _(angry and distressed)_ : Who the hell _are_ you? How do you know that?   
MYCROFT: Fire her. She's got it the wrong way round. You're under stress right now and your hand is perfectly steady.   
_(John's eyes flicker downwards before returning to stare ahead of himself, his face set and struggling to hold back his anger.)_   
MYCROFT: You're not haunted by the war, Doctor Watson. You miss it. **

"Of course your a freak just like him," Donovan muttered, even though I'm pretty sure she'd already said something like that before. 

**_(Mycroft leans closer to him. Reluctantly John's eyes rise up to meet his.)_   
MYCROFT _(in a whisper)_ : Welcome back.   
_(Mycroft turns and starts to walk away just as John's phone trills another text alert.)_   
MYCROFT _(casually twirling his umbrella as he goes)_ : Time to choose a side, Doctor Watson. _  
_**

**John stands fixed to the spot for a few seconds, then turns and glances towards the departing man while, behind John, the car door opens and not-Anthea gets out and walks a few paces towards him, her attention still riveted to the BlackBerry held in front of her in both hands.**

**NOT-ANTHEA: I'm to take you home. **

**John half-turns towards her, then stops and takes out his phone to look at the new message. It reads:** **  
**

**###**

**Could be dangerous.  
SH**

**###**

"Why would Sherlock say something like that? Wouldn't that cause you not to go, more than anything else?" Molly asks, and John shuffles in his seat as Mycroft gives the girl a pointed look. 

**Putting the phone back into his pocket, John holds out his left hand in front of him and studies the lack of tremor coming from it. He smiles wryly.**

**NOT-ANTHEA: Address?   
JOHN _(turning and walking towards her)_ : Er, Baker Street. Two two one B Baker Street. But I need to stop off somewhere first.**

**Later, John opens the door into his bedsit and switches on the light. Walking inside and closing the door behind him, he goes across to the desk and opens the drawer, taking out his pistol. Checking the clip, he tucks the gun into the back of the waistband of his jeans and turns to leave again.**

"Why would you stop for a gun?" Anderson asks incroudious. 

"Because of Mycroft, he creeped me out, no offense" John replied, and Mycroft nodded ever so slightly.

**Later again, the car pulls up outside 221B Baker Street. Not-Anthea is still rivetted by whatever she's typing on her phone [that must be one heck of a running blog that she's writing]. John looks across to her.**

**JOHN: Listen, your boss – any chance you could not tell him this is where I went?   
NOT-ANTHEA _(nonchalantly)_ : Sure.   
JOHN: You've told him already, haven't you?   
_(She smiles across to him briefly.)_   
NOT-ANTHEA: Yeah.   
_(John nods in resignation and turns to get out of the car but just as he has opened the door, he turns back to her.)_  
JOHN: Hey, um ... do you ever get any free time? **

"Are you flirting with her?" Lestrade asks in shock and John shrugs, suddenly finding his feet so interesting. 

**_(She chuckles.)_   
NOT-ANTHEA _(sarcastically)_ : Oh, yeah. Lots.   
_(John waits expectantly. She continues working her phone for a long moment, then turns and looks at him before allowing her gaze to drift past him to the door of 221B.)_   
NOT-ANTHEA: 'Bye.   
JOHN: Okay.   
_(He gets out and closes the door, then watches the car pull away before turning and walking across the pavement to the front door of 221B. He knocks on the door.)_**


	4. The Pink Lady (01x01 part 3/4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V--

**Upstairs in the living room of the flat, Sherlock is lying stretched out on the sofa with his head towards the window and resting on a cushion. With his jacket off and his shirt sleeves unbuttoned and pushed up his arms, he has his eyes closed and he is pressing the palm of his right hand firmly onto the underside of his left arm just below the elbow. After some seconds his eyes snap open wide and he stares fixedly up towards the ceiling, then he sighs out a noisy breath and relaxes.**

"What's he doing?" Molly asks curiously, her head tilting to the side. 

"Nicotine patch," John answered.

**John comes through the door, then stops and stares as Sherlock repeatedly clenches and unclenches his left fist.**

**JOHN: What are you doing?   
SHERLOCK (calmly): Nicotine patch. Helps me think. **

**He lifts his right hand to show that he has three round nicotine patches stuck to his arm and it was these which he was pressing against his skin to release the substances more quickly.** **  
**

"He only showed me one!" Lestrade snaps.

"What do expect, the freak to actually tell the truth," Donovan snarled, being her usual grumpy self. 

**SHERLOCK: Impossible to sustain a smoking habit in London these days. Bad news for brain work.   
_(He loudly clicks the 'k' on the last word.)_   
JOHN (walking further into the room): It's good news for breathing.   
SHERLOCK (dismissively): Oh, breathing. Breathing's boring. **

"Sherlock," Mrs Hudson mutters. Everyone, even Donavan frowned, it being to soon to his death.

**_(John frowns as he looks more closely at Sherlock's arm.)_   
JOHN: Is that three patches?   
SHERLOCK (pressing his hands together in the prayer position under his chin): It's a three-patch problem. **

"I wonder how many patches he used for 'The Great Games'" Anderson mused.

**_(He closes his eyes. John looks around the room for a moment, then looks down at Sherlock again.)_   
JOHN: Well?   
_(Sherlock doesn't respond.)_   
JOHN: You asked me to come. I'm assuming it's important.   
_(Sherlock still doesn't respond instantly, but after a couple of seconds his eyes snap open. He doesn't bother turning his head to look at John.)_   
SHERLOCK: Oh, yeah, of course. Can I borrow your phone? **

"... You've got to be kidding me, he called you all the way there just to use your phone?" Lestrade asked.

"Kinda of," John muttered.

"Kind of? What do you mean kind of?" Anderson asked, turning to face John.

"He made me send the text,"

**JOHN: My phone?   
SHERLOCK: Don't wanna use mine. Always a chance that the number will be recognised. It's on the website. **

"Who would look at the freaks website!" Donavan snapped. 

**JOHN: Mrs Hudson's got a phone.   
SHERLOCK: Yeah, she's downstairs. I tried shouting but she didn't hear.   
JOHN (beginning to get angry): I _was_ the other side of London.   
SHERLOCK (mildly): There was no hurry.   
_(John glares at him as he gazes serenely at the ceiling before closing his eyes again. Eventually John digs his phone out of his jacket pocket and holds it towards him.)_   
JOHN: Here.**

**Without opening his eyes, Sherlock holds out his right hand with the palm up. John glowers at him for a moment, then steps forward and slaps the phone into his hand. Sherlock slowly lifts his arm and puts his hands together again, this time with the phone in between his palms. John turns and walks a few paces away before turning around again.** **  
**

**JOHN: So what's this about – the case?   
SHERLOCK (softly): Her case.   
JOHN: _Her_ case?   
SHERLOCK (opening his eyes): Her suitcase, yes, obviously. The murderer took her suitcase. First big mistake.   
JOHN: Okay, he took her case. So?   
SHERLOCK (quietly, as if to himself): It's no use, there's no other way. We'll have to risk it. **

"What's he talking about?" Molly asked curiously. John frowns softly, thinking back to that day.

"Probably about what his about to get me to send," John finally answered, cauisng everyone to get more confused at which he waved them off. 

**_(Raising his voice a little, he imperiously holds the phone out towards John, still not looking at him.)_   
SHERLOCK: On my desk there's a number. I want you to send a text.   
_(John half-smiles in angry disbelief.)_   
JOHN (tightly): You brought me here ... to send a text.**

"How is he being so calm? If that was me every second word he spoke would be an insult?" Anderson cried.

"Yes but John's well, John, Sherlock is always treating him nicer," Molly points out sadly, as John blushes slightly.

"Aww, sad that the freak will never love you back?" Donovan sneered causing Molly to glare at her. 

**SHERLOCK (oblivious to his anger): Text, yes. The number on my desk.  
**

**He continues to hold the phone out while John glowers at him, possibly wondering if he can get away with justifiable homicide. Eventually he stomps across the room and snatches the phone from Sherlock's hand. Sherlock refolds his hands under his chin and closes his eyes but instead of going to the table, John walks over to the window and looks out into the street below. Sherlock opens his eyes and tilts his head slightly towards him.**

**SHERLOCK: What's wrong?   
JOHN: Just met a friend of yours.   
_(Sherlock frowns in confusion.)_   
SHERLOCK: A _friend_?   
JOHN: An enemy.   
_(Sherlock immediately relaxes.)_ **

"Only Sherlock?" Lestrade mutters causing everyone to nod their heads in agreement.

"You thought I was being overdramatic, calling him an enemy," Mycroft tutters. 

"You are overdramatic,"

**SHERLOCK (calmly): Oh. Which one?   
JOHN: Your _arch_ -enemy, according to him. _(He turns towards Sherlock.)_ Do people _have_ arch-enemies? **

"If he was real, wouldn't Moraity be Sherlock's arch-enemy?" Donovan immediantly groans at Lestrade's words.

"But he's not real, just something the freak made up so he could make himself look good." She was completely and utterly ignored. 

"Sherlock didn't know about _him_ yet, but he defiantly would be." John answered.

**_(Sherlock looks towards him, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.)_   
SHERLOCK: Did he offer you money to spy on me?   
JOHN: Yes.   
SHERLOCK: Did you take it?   
JOHN: No.   
SHERLOCK: Pity. We could have split the fee. Think it through next time.   
JOHN: Who is he?   
SHERLOCK (softly): The most dangerous man you've ever met, and not my problem right now. _(More loudly)_ On my desk, the number. _  
_**

**John gives him a dark look but Sherlock has already looked away again so John walks over to the desk and picks up a piece of paper taken from a luggage label. He looks at the name on the paper.**

**JOHN: Jennifer Wilson. That was ... Hang on. Wasn't that the dead woman?   
**

"Why on earth would Sherlock want you to text the victim?" Anderson asked incrediously. 

**SHERLOCK: Yes. That's not important. Just enter the number.   
_(Shaking his head, John gets his phone out and starts to type the number onto it.)_   
SHERLOCK: Are you doing it?   
JOHN: Yes.   
SHERLOCK: Have you _done_ it?   
JOHN: Ye... hang on!   
SHERLOCK: These words exactly: "What happened at Lauriston Gardens? I must have blacked out."   
_(John starts to type but looks briefly across to Sherlock as if concerned at what he just said. Sherlock continues his narration.)_   
SHERLOCK: "Twenty-two Northumberland Street. Please come." **

**John has got as far as:**

**###**

**What happened at  
Lauriston Gdns?   
I must have b**

**###**

**Now he looks across to Sherlock again, frowning.**

"You blacked out?" Anderson asked in a moment of idiocy. 

**JOHN: You blacked out?   
SHERLOCK: What? No. No!   
**

**He flips his legs around and stands up, taking the shortest route towards the kitchen – which involves walking over the coffee table beside the sofa rather than around it.**

**SHERLOCK: Type and send it. Quickly. **

"Sherlock dear, have some patience," Mrs Hudson mutters, her voice gravely and soft.

"That's Sherlock, he never did have any patience," John replied wistfully, his voice soft more like he was looking fondly back on old meomeries then having a conversation.

**Going into the kitchen, he picks up a small pink suitcase from a chair and brings it back into the living room. Walking over to the dining table, he lifts one of the dining chairs and flips it around, setting it down in front of one of the two armchairs near the fireplace. He puts the suitcase onto the dining chair and sits down in the armchair.**

"Whose suitcase is that?" Molly almost whispered, as if she was afraid of the answer. 

"Jennifer Wilsons,"

**John is still typing.**

**SHERLOCK: Have you sent it?   
JOHN: What's the address?   
SHERLOCK (impatiently): Twenty-two Northumberland Street. Hurry up! **

**John finishes the message, then looks round as Sherlock unzips the case and flips open the lid, revealing the contents. There are a few items of clothing and underwear – all in varying shades of pink – a washbag, and a paperback novel by Paul Bunch entitled "Come To Bed Eyes.". As John turns towards the case he staggers slightly in shock when he realises what he's looking at.** **  
**

**JOHN: That's ... that's the pink lady's case. That's Jennifer Wilson's case.   
SHERLOCK (studying the case closely): Yes, obviously.   
_(John continues to stare, and Sherlock looks up at him and then rolls his eyes.)_   
SHERLOCK (sarcastically): Oh, perhaps I should mention: _I_ didn't kill her.   
JOHN: I never said you did.   
SHERLOCK: Why not? Given the text I just had you send and the fact that I have her case, it's a perfectly logical assumption.   
JOHN: Do people usually assume you're the murderer?   
SHERLOCK (smirking): Now and then, yes. **

"Maybe because you are the killer, or at least the mastermind," Donovan hissed, glaring at the screen and getting a lot of glares in return.

**He puts his hands onto the arms of the armchair and lifts his feet up and under him so that he is perching on the seat with his backside braced against the back rest, then clasps his hands under his chin.**

**JOHN: Okay ...   
_(He limps across the room and drops heavily into the armchair on the other side of the fireplace.)_   
JOHN: How did you get this?   
SHERLOCK: By looking.   
JOHN: Where?   
SHERLOCK: The killer must have driven her to Lauriston Gardens. He could only keep her case by accident if it was in the car. Nobody could be seen with this case without drawing attention – particularly a man, which is statistically more likely – so obviously he'd feel compelled to get rid of it the moment he noticed he still had it. Wouldn't have taken him more than five minutes to realise his mistake. I checked every back street wide enough for a car five minutes from Lauriston Gardens ...**

**Cut-away shot of Sherlock standing on the edge of a rooftop looking down into the streets below as he searches for a glimpse of places where the case might have been hidden. Including Sherlock looking over a ledge.** **  
**

Everyone, espically John who bows his head afterwards, flinches at the scene in front of them. Without speaking, Mrs Hudson and Molly hugged John as Mr Lestrade squeezes his shoulder.

**SHERLOCK: ... and anywhere you could dispose of a bulky object without being observed.** **  
**

**Cut-away shot of Sherlock back on the ground and rooting through a large skip in an alley before unearthing the case buried under some black plastic, then checking the luggage label attached to the handle.**

**SHERLOCK: Took me less than an hour to find the right skip.   
JOHN: Pink. You got _all_ that because you realised the case would be pink?   
SHERLOCK: Well, it _had_ to be pink, obviously. **

"No wonder Sherlock is always so annoyed at us, between the scene with the words and this, if the cases aren't made up, then how isn't he snapping at every word they say?" Anderson exclaimed, though John did glare slightly at the middle part.

"He does, everytime you speak," Mrs Hudson pointed out. 

**JOHN (to himself): Why didn't _I_ think of that?   
SHERLOCK: Because you're an idiot.   
_(John looks across to him, startled. Sherlock makes a placatory gesture with one hand.)_   
SHERLOCK: No, no, no, don't look like that. Practically everyone is. **

Most people snicker (why is Mycroft so 'refrianed but Sherlock's not?) at Sherlock.... being... well... Sherlock.

**_(He refolds his hands and then extends his index fingers to point at the case.)_   
SHERLOCK: Now, look. Do you see what's missing?   
JOHN: From the case? How _could_ I?   
SHERLOCK: Her phone. Where's her mobile phone? There was no phone on the body, there's no phone in the case. We know she had one – that's her number there; you just texted it.   
JOHN: Maybe she left it at home. _  
_**

**Sherlock puts his hands onto the arms of the chair and raises himself up so that he can lower his feet to the floor, then sits down properly on the chair.**

**SHERLOCK: She has a string of lovers and she's careful about it. She _never_ leaves her phone at home.   
_(He puts the slip of paper back into the luggage label on the case and looks at John expectantly.)_ **

"You know, I only just realised something," Anderson trails off, causing everyone to look at him curiously. "He's grooming John to become a dective," 

"Well done Anderson, you exceeded my expectations," Mycroft commented randomly, but Anderson did look slightly proud at his words. "Your not as stupid as you seemed," Anderson immediantly frowned after Mycroft finished speaking. 

**JOHN: Er ...   
_(He looks down at his mobile phone which he has put onto the arm of his chair.)_   
JOHN: Why did I just send that text?   
SHERLOCK: Well, the question is: where is her phone _now_?   
JOHN: She could have lost it.   
SHERLOCK: Yes, or ...?   
JOHN (slowly): The murderer ... You think the murderer has the phone?   
SHERLOCK: Maybe she left it when she left her case. Maybe he took it from her for some reason. Either way, the balance of probability is the murderer has her phone.   
JOHN: Sorry, what are we doing? Did I just text a murderer?! What good will _that_ do? _  
_**

**As if on cue, his phone begins to ring. He picks it up and looks at the screen for the Caller I.D. It reads:**

**###**

**(withheld)  
calling**

**###**

**He looks across to Sherlock as the phone continues to ring.**

**SHERLOCK: A few hours after his last victim, and now he receives a text that can only be from her. If somebody had just _found_ that phone they'd ignore a text like that, but the murderer ...   
_(He pauses dramatically for a moment until the phone stops ringing.)_   
SHERLOCK: ... would panic. _  
_**

"What if someone had just found the phone and rang the person to find out who's phone it is," Molly asks, her head tiltied to the side. 

"That would be highly unlikely, winning the lottery would be more likely with all things considered." Mycroft instantly shots her idea down. 

**He flips the lid of the suitcase closed and stands up, walking across the room to pick up his jacket. As John continues to stare down at his phone, Sherlock puts on his jacket and walks towards the door.**

**JOHN (finally looking up): Have you talked to the police?   
SHERLOCK: Four people are dead. There isn't time to talk to the police.   
JOHN: So why are you talking to _me_? **

**Sherlock reaches behind the door to take his greatcoat from the hook. As he looks across towards John he notices that something is missing from the mantelpiece.**

**SHERLOCK: Mrs Hudson took my skull. **

John huffs at that, silently wondering if all this time he had just been a fill in for that blasted skull or someone of actual importance to Sherlock. John is pulled out of his thoughts as he hears the Yarders soft chuckles at Sherlock's words.

**JOHN: So I'm basically filling in for your skull?   
SHERLOCK (putting on his coat): Relax, you're doing fine.   
_(John doesn't move.)_   
SHERLOCK: Well?   
JOHN: Well what?   
SHERLOCK: Well, you could just sit there and watch telly.   
JOHN: What, you want me to come with you?   
SHERLOCK: I like company when I go out, and I think better when I talk aloud. The skull just attracts attention, so ...   
_(John smiles briefly.)_   
SHERLOCK: Problem?   
JOHN: Yeah, Sergeant Donovan.   
SHERLOCK (looking away in exasperation): What about her?**

"So you did listen to my warning, for a bit anyway," Donovan murmed thoughtfully. Though suprisingly no one heard her.

**JOHN: She said ... You get off on this. You enjoy it.   
SHERLOCK (nonchalantly): And I said "dangerous," and here you are.   
**

**Instantly he turns and walks out of the door. John sits there thoughtfully for a few seconds, then almost angrily leans onto his cane to push himself to his feet and head for the door.**

**JOHN: Damn it!**

Lestrade smirks over at John slightly amusement dancing in his eyes. 

**Not long afterwards, John catches up to Sherlock in the street and they continue down the road.**

**JOHN: Where are we going?   
SHERLOCK: Northumberland Street's a five-minute walk from here.   
JOHN: You think he's stupid enough to go there?   
SHERLOCK (smiling expectantly): No – I think he's _brilliant_ enough. I love the brilliant ones. They're always so desperate to get caught.   
JOHN: Why?   
SHERLOCK: Appreciation! Applause! At long last the spotlight. That's the frailty of genius, John it needs an audience.   
JOHN (looking pointedly at him): Yeah.**

"The freaks probably just pretending all this time," Donovan whispers to Anderson. Said forenzic scientest flinched ever so slightly as the soft trickle of guilt started weeding its way into his stomach. 

"We've already gone over it, he's not faking." Anderson snapps back before turning back around to the screen. Donovan frowns over at him before shrugging it off.

**Oblivious to the implication, Sherlock spins around to indicate the entire area as he continues down the road.** **  
**

**SHERLOCK: This is his hunting ground, right here in the heart of the city. Now that we know his victims were abducted, that changes everything. Because all of his victims disappeared from busy streets, crowded places, but nobody saw them go.   
_(He holds his hands up on either side of his head as if to focus his thoughts.)_   
SHERLOCK: Think! Who do we trust, even though we don't know them? Who passes unnoticed wherever they go? Who hunts in the middle of a crowd?   
JOHN: Dunno. Who?   
SHERLOCK (shrugging): Haven't the faintest. Hungry? **

**Lowering his hands, he leads John onwards and into a small restaurant. The waiter near the door clearly knows him and gestures to a reserved table at the front window.**

"How does Sherlock know him?" Anderson asks curiously, leaning forward.

"And why would anyone want the freak at their restraunt," Donovan muttered. Earning a slight glare from Anderson, who was the only one who heard.

"He explains soon," John replied to Anderson, not wanting to explain or really remembering what happened. 

**SHERLOCK: Thank you, Billy. **

**Taking off his coat, he sits down on the bench seat at the side of the table and immediately turns sideways so that he can see clearly out of the window. As Billy takes the 'Reserved' sign off the table, John sits down on the other bench seat with his back to the window, and takes off his jacket.**

**SHERLOCK (nodding to a building over the road): Twenty-two Northumberland Street. Keep your eyes on it.   
JOHN: He isn't just gonna ring the doorbell, though, is he? He'd need to be mad.   
SHERLOCK: He _has_ killed four people.   
JOHN: ... Okay.   
_(The manager and/or owner of the restaurant comes over, clearly pleased to see Sherlock.)_   
ANGELO: Sherlock.   
_(They shake hands.)_   
ANGELO: Anything on the menu, whatever you want, free.   
_(He lays a couple of menus on the table.)_   
ANGELO: On the house, for you _and_ for your date. **

"Why does _everyone_ think that me and Sherlock are dating?" John hissed in annoyance, causing everyone to chuckle.

"Because, his always nicer to you," John blushed at the words.

**SHERLOCK (to John) : Do you want to eat?   
JOHN (to Angelo): I'm not his date.   
ANGELO: This man got me off a murder charge.   
SHERLOCK: This is Angelo.   
_(Angelo offers his hand to John, who shakes it.)_   
SHERLOCK: Three years ago I successfully proved to Lestrade at the time of a particularly vicious triple murder that Angelo was in a completely different part of town, house-breaking.   
ANGELO (to John): He cleared my name.   
SHERLOCK: I cleared it a _bit_. Anything happening opposite?   
ANGELO: Nothing. _(He looks at John again.)_ But for this man, I'd have gone to prison.   
SHERLOCK: You _did_ go to prison. **

Most people chuckle at Angelo. 

**ANGELO (to John) : I'll get a candle for the table. It's more romantic.   
JOHN (indignantly, as Angelo walks away): I'm not his date!   
_(Sherlock puts his own menu down onto the table.)_   
SHERLOCK: You may as well eat. We might have a long wait. **

**Angelo comes back with a small glass bowl containing a lit tea-light. He puts it onto the table and gives John a thumbs-up before turning and walking away again.**

**JOHN (a little tetchily) : Thanks(!)**

"Given up John have you?" Lestrade chuckles sightly as John grumbles in annoyance.

**Later, John has a plate of food in front of him and is eating from it. Sherlock's attention is fixed out of the window and he is quietly drumming his fingers on the table.**

**JOHN: People don't _have_ arch-enemies.   
_(It takes a moment but Sherlock finally looks round.)_   
SHERLOCK: I'm sorry?   
JOHN: In real life. There _are_ no arch-enemies in real life. Doesn't happen.   
SHERLOCK (disinterestedly, looking out of the window again): Doesn't it? Sounds a bit dull.   
JOHN: So who did I meet?   
SHERLOCK: What do real people have, then, in their 'real lives'?   
JOHN: Friends; people they know; people they like; people they don't like ... Girlfriends, boyfriends ...   
SHERLOCK: Yes, well, as I was saying – dull.   
JOHN: You don't have a girlfriend, then?   
SHERLOCK (still looking out of the window): Girlfriend? No, not really my area.   
JOHN: Mm.   
_(A moment passes before he realises the possible significance of this statement.)_   
JOHN: Oh, right. D'you have a boyfriend?   
_(Sherlock looks round at him sharply.)_   
JOHN: Which is fine, by the way.   
SHERLOCK: I _know_ it's fine.   
_(John smiles to indicate that he wasn't signifying anything negative by what he said.)_   
JOHN: So you've got a boyfriend then?   
SHERLOCK: No.   
JOHN (still smiling, though his smile is becoming a little fixed and awkward): Right. Okay. You're unattached. Like me. _(He looks down at his plate, apparently rapidly running out of things to say.)_ Fine. _(He clears his throat.)_ Good. **

Suscipicously, everyone but Mycroft and John suddenly had a sudden outburst of coughing. 

"Awkward," Anderson muttered under his breath, causing them all to burst out laughing. 

**He continues eating. Sherlock looks at him suspiciously for a moment but then turns his attention out of the window again. However, he then appears to replay John's statement in his head and looks a little startled. Turning his head towards John again, he starts speaking rather awkwardly but rapidly speeds up and is almost babbling by the time John interrupts him.**

**SHERLOCK: John, um ... I think you should know that I consider myself married to my work, and while I'm flattered by your interest, I'm really not looking for any ...   
JOHN (interrupting): No. _(He turns his head briefly to clear his throat.)_ No, I'm not asking. No.   
_(He fixes his gaze onto Sherlock's, apparently trying to convey his sincerity.)_   
JOHN: I'm just saying, it's _all_ fine.   
_(Sherlock looks at him for a moment, then nods.)_   
SHERLOCK: Good. Thank you. **

"Could that be anymore awkward?" Molly giggles causing John to grumble once again.

**He turns his attention back to the street. John looks away with an bemused expression on his face as if asking himself, 'What the heck was all that about?!' Just then, Sherlock nods out of the window.**

**SHERLOCK: Look across the street. Taxi.   
_(John twists in his seat to look out of the window where a taxi has parked at the side of the road with its back end towards the restaurant.)_   
SHERLOCK: Stopped. Nobody getting in, and nobody getting out.   
_(In the rear seat of the taxi the male passenger is looking through the side windows as if trying to see somebody particular.)_   
SHERLOCK (to himself): Why a taxi? Oh, that's clever. _Is_ it clever? _Why_ is it clever?   
JOHN: That's him?   
SHERLOCK: Don't stare.   
JOHN (looking round at him): _You're_ staring.   
SHERLOCK: We can't _both_ stare. **

**Getting to his feet, he grabs his coat and scarf and heads for the door.**

"Why say don't stare if your just going to get up anyway?" Lestrade points out.

"It's Sherlock," Anderson says as if that explains everything, which it kind of does. 

**John picks up his own jacket and follows ... completely forgetting to take his walking cane with him.**

"John, I think you forgot something," Mycroft announced, amusement crinkling in his eyes. 

"Yeah, I figured that out, later" John muttered the last word while everyone else frowns. 

"What did you forget?" Molly asks leaning forward. 

"Try and use your brain for once and figure it out," Mycroft replied.

**Outside the door, Sherlock shrugs himself into his coat while keeping his eyes fixed on the taxi. The passenger continues to look around him, then turns and looks out the back window. His gaze falls on the restaurant and he looks at it for a few moments while Sherlock stares back at him, then the man turns towards the front of the vehicle and the taxi begins to pull away from the kerb. Sherlock immediately heads towards it without bothering to check the road that he's running into and is almost run over by a car coming from his left. The driver slams on the brakes and stops the car but Sherlock, always keen to take the quickest route, allows his forward impetus to carry him onto the top of the bonnet. He rolls over the bonnet, lands on his feet on the other side and then runs after the taxi. As the driver of the car angrily sounds his horn, John puts one hand on the bonnet and vaults over the front of the car, apologising to the driver as he goes.**

**JOHN: Sorry.   
_(He chases after Sherlock, who runs a few yards up the road before realising that he's not going to catch the taxi and slows to a halt. John catches up and stops beside him.)_   
JOHN: I've got the cab number.   
SHERLOCK: Good for you. **

**He brings his hands up to either side of his head and concentrates, calling up a mental map of the local area and overlaying it with images of the streets along the route which he calculates that the taxi must take.**

"That is actually pretty cool," Anderson commented, and Donovan glared slightly at him.

"Not you to,"

**SHERLOCK (quick fire): Right turn, one way, roadworks, traffic lights, bus lane, pedestrian crossing, left turn only, traffic lights. **

**Having worked out the route, he lifts his head and sees a man unlocking the door to a nearby building. Instantly his mind flashes up a signpost saying, "ALTERNATIVE ROUTE." Sherlock races towards the man and grabs him, shoving him out of the way before charging into the building.**

**MAN: Oi!   
_(John hurries after Sherlock, raising an apologetic hand to the man as he goes.)_   
JOHN: Sorry. **

"You really are a gentlemen," Molly teased at John.

**The two of them race up the stairs and out onto a metal spiral fire escape staircase leading to the roof. Sherlock, the lanky git, takes the steps two or even three at a time and John struggles to keep up with him as he scurries up behind him.**

**SHERLOCK: Come on, John. **

**Reaching the top of the stairs, Sherlock runs to the edge and looks over before seeing a shorter metal spiral staircase leading down the side of the building to another door one floor lower. He gallops down the stairs and climbs onto the railing before leaping across the gap to the next building. John scrambles onto the railing and follows. Sherlock runs across to the other side of the roof and again leaps across to the next building. John races after him, but then skids to a halt when he realises that the gap may be too big for him to jump across. As if in sympathy, pedestrian traffic lights on the ground change from the green "It is safe to cross" sign to the red "Stop and wait" sign. John hesitates, looking down at the drop beneath him.**

**SHERLOCK: Come _on_ , John. We're losing him!**

**John backs up a few paces and braces himself. As the traffic lights change to "Safe to cross" again, he takes a run-up and and leaps the gap. Dropping down onto a walkway along the side of the building, the boys run onwards. The taxi continues its journey on the ground and the boys gallop down another metal staircase, then run to a ledge and drop down into an alleyway before running onwards again. Sherlock leads John down the alleyway as, in his head, a map shows their location in comparison to where the taxi must be. Their paths are beginning to get closer and they are heading towards a point where Sherlock and John will exit the alleyway onto D'Arblay Street, into which the taxi is just turning. Sherlock turns the corner and races down the last part of the alley, only to see the taxi drive past the end, heading to the left.** **  
**

**SHERLOCK _(angrily)_ : Ah, no!   
_(Without breaking stride, he races out of the end of the alley and turns right.)_   
SHERLOCK: This way.   
_(Instinctively John turns left in pursuit of the taxi.)_**

"Wrong way," Lestrade chuckles, and everyone laughs once again at Johns expense. 

**SHERLOCK: No, _this_ way!   
JOHN: Sorry. **

**He turns and heads back in the opposite direction, following Sherlock. In Sherlock's mind-map, he picks a new point where he and John can intercept the cab. The boys run down the street, taking a shorter route than the taxi which is being diverted by various road signs taking it the long way around. They head down more alleyways and side streets towards the interception point in Wardour Street and finally, at the precise point which his mental map predicted, Sherlock races out of a side street and hurls himself into the path of the approaching cab, which screeches to a halt as he crashes hard into the bonnet. Scrabbling in his left coat pocket, Sherlock pulls out an I.D. badge and flashes it at the driver as he runs to the right hand side of the cab.**

"Hang on! Where did he get that ID?" Lestrade practically shouted, John smirked slightly, seeing this as payback.

**SHERLOCK: Police! Open her up!   
_(Panting heavily, he tugs open the rear door and stares in at the passenger, who looks back at him anxiously. Instantly Sherlock straightens up in exasperation just as John joins him.)_   
SHERLOCK: No.   
_(He leans down again to look at the passenger a second time.)_   
SHERLOCK: Teeth, tan: what – Californian?   
_(He looks at something on the floor in front of the passenger.)_   
SHERLOCK: L.A., Santa Monica. Just arrived.   
_(He straightens up again, grimacing.)_   
JOHN: How can you _possibly_ know that?   
SHERLOCK: The luggage.   
_(He looks down at the suitcase on the floor of the cab and its luggage label showing that the man has flown from LAX [Los Angeles International Airport] to LHR [London Heathrow Airport].)_   
**

"That's disappoiting,"

**SHERLOCK (to the passenger): It's probably your first trip to London, right, going by your final destination and the route the cabbie was taking you?**

**PASSENGER: Sorry – are you guys the police?   
SHERLOCK: Yeah. _(He flashes the I.D. badge briefly at the man.)_ Everything all right?   
PASSENGER (smiling): Yeah.   
_(Sherlock pauses for a moment as if wondering how to finish this conversation, then smiles falsely at the man.)_   
SHERLOCK: Welcome to London. **

Laughs at Sherlock's words and his false cherriness, it really did look stupid if you truely know Sherlock.

**_(He immediately walks away, leaving John staring blankly for a moment before he steps closer to the taxi door and looks in at the passenger.)_   
JOHN: Er, any problems, just let us know. **

**As the man nods, John smiles politely and slams the cab door shut. The man looks round to the taxi driver in bewilderment. John walks to where Sherlock has stopped a few yards behind the vehicle.**

**JOHN: Basically just a cab that happened to slow down.   
SHERLOCK: Basically.   
JOHN: Not the murderer.   
SHERLOCK (exasperated): _Not_ the murderer, no.   
JOHN: Wrong country, good alibi.   
SHERLOCK: As they go.   
_(John notices as Sherlock switches the I.D. card from one hand to another.)_   
JOHN: Hey, where-where did you get this? Here.   
_(He reaches for the card and Sherlock releases it.)_   
JOHN: Right. _(He looks at the name on the card.)_ Detective Inspector Lestrade?   
SHERLOCK: Yeah. I pickpocket him when he's annoying. You can keep that one, I've got plenty at the flat. _  
_**

Anderson and Donovan laughs slighly, as Lestrade.... faints which causes everyone else to laugh.

**_(John nods, then looks down at the card again before lifting his head and giggling silently.)_   
SHERLOCK: What?   
JOHN: Nothing, just: "Welcome to London." **

**Sherlock chuckles, then looks down the road to where a police officer has apparently gone to investigate why the cab has stopped in the middle of the street. The passenger has got out and is pointing down the road towards the boys.**

"Your in trouble" Mrs Hudson says causing everyone, even John to chuckle, as Lestrade wakes up and laughs not actually knowing what everyone was laughing at.

**SHERLOCK (to John): Got your breath back?   
JOHN: Ready when you are.   
_(They turn and run off down the road.)_**

**_221B._  
The boys have arrived back and walk along the hallway, breathing heavily. John hangs his jacket on a hook on the wall while Sherlock drapes his coat over the bottom of the bannisters. **

**JOHN: Okay, that was ridiculous.   
_(They lean side by side against the wall, still trying to catch their breath.)_   
JOHN: That was the most ridiculous thing I've ever done.   
SHERLOCK: And you invaded Afghanistan.   
_(John giggles adorably and after a moment Sherlock also begins to laugh.)_   
JOHN: That wasn't just me.   
_(Sherlock chuckles.)_   
JOHN: Why aren't we back at the restaurant?   
SHERLOCK (becoming more serious and waving his hand dismissively): Oh, they can keep an eye out. It was a long shot anyway.   
JOHN: So what were we doing there?   
_(Sherlock clears his throat.)_   
SHERLOCK: Oh, just passing the time.   
_(He looks at John.)_   
SHERLOCK: And proving a point.   
JOHN: What point?   
SHERLOCK: You.   
_(He turns and calls loudly towards the door to Mrs Hudson's ground floor flat.)_   
SHERLOCK: Mrs Hudson! Doctor Watson _will_ take the room upstairs.   
JOHN: Says who?   
SHERLOCK (looking towards the front door): Says the man at the door. **

**John turns his head towards the door just as someone knocks on it three times. He turns back to look at Sherlock in surprise. Sherlock smiles. John stares at him for a moment, then walks along the hall to answer the door. Sherlock leans his head against the wall and blows out a breath. John opens the door and finds Angelo standing outside.**

**ANGELO: Sherlock texted me.   
_(Smiling, he holds up John's walking cane.)_ **

"Ohh, so that's what you forgot..."

**ANGELO: He said you forgot this.   
_(John stares at the cane in surprise, then takes it.)_   
JOHN: Ah.   
_(He turns and looks down the hall to Sherlock, who grins at him.)_   
JOHN (turning back to Angelo): Er, thank you. Thank you.   
_(As he comes back in and closes the door, Mrs Hudson comes out of her flat and hurries over to the boys. She sounds upset and tearful as she speaks.)_   
MRS HUDSON: Sherlock, what have you done?   
SHERLOCK: Mrs Hudson?   
MRS HUDSON: Upstairs. **

**Sherlock turns and hurries up the stairs, John following him. Sherlock opens the living room door and goes inside, where he finds D.I. Lestrade sitting casually in the armchair facing the door. Other police officers are going through Sherlock's possessions. Sherlock storms over to Lestrade.**

**SHERLOCK: What are you doing?   
LESTRADE: Well, I knew you'd find the case. I'm not stupid.   
SHERLOCK: You can't just break into my flat.   
LESTRADE: And you can't withhold evidence. And I didn't _break_ into your flat.   
SHERLOCK: Well, what do you call this then?   
LESTRADE (looking round at his officers before looking back to Sherlock innocently): It's a drugs bust.   
JOHN: Seriously?! _This_ guy, a junkie?! Have you met him?!   
_(Sherlock turns and walks closer to John, biting his lip nervously.)_   
SHERLOCK: John ...   
JOHN (to Lestrade): I'm pretty sure you could search this flat all day, you wouldn't find anything you could call recreational.   
SHERLOCK: John, you probably want to shut up _now_.   
JOHN: Yeah, but come on ...   
_(He looks into Sherlock's eyes. Sherlock holds his gaze for a long moment and John falls deeply and instantly in love realises how serious he's looking.)_   
JOHN: No.   
SHERLOCK: What?   
JOHN: _You_?   
SHERLOCK (angrily): Shut up!   
_(He turns back to Lestrade.)_   
SHERLOCK: I'm not your sniffer dog.   
LESTRADE: No, _Anderson_ 's my sniffer dog.   
_(He nods towards the kitchen.)_   
SHERLOCK: What, An... **

**The closed doors to the kitchen slide open and reveal several more officers in there searching through the room. Anderson turns towards the living room and raises his hand in sarcastic greeting.**

**SHERLOCK (angrily): Anderson, what are _you_ doing here on a drugs bust?   
ANDERSON (venomously): Oh, I volunteered.   
_(Sherlock turns away, biting his lip angrily.)_   
LESTRADE: They _all_ did. They're not strictly speaking _on_ the drugs squad, but they're very keen.   
_(Donovan comes into view from the kitchen, holding a small glass jar with some white round objects in it.)_   
DONOVAN: Are these _human_ eyes?   
SHERLOCK: Put those back!   
DONOVAN: They were in the microwave!   
SHERLOCK: It's an experiment. **

"Sherlock does have a lot of weird experiments," Mrs Hudson says, remembering the thumbs in the fridge. 

**LESTRADE: Keep looking, guys.   
_(He stands up and turns to Sherlock.)_   
LESTRADE: Or you could help us properly and I'll stand them down.   
SHERLOCK (pacing angrily): This is childish.   
LESTRADE: Well, I'm _dealing_ with a child. Sherlock, this is _our_ case. I'm letting you in, but you do _not_ go off on your own. Clear?   
SHERLOCK (stopping and glaring at him): Oh, what, so-so-so you set up a pretend drugs bust to bully me?   
LESTRADE: It stops being pretend if they find anything.   
SHERLOCK (loudly): I am clean!   
LESTRADE: Is your flat? All of it?   
SHERLOCK: I don't even smoke.   
_(He unbuttons the cuff of his left shirt and pulls it up to show a nicotine patch on his lower arm. Presumably he removed the other two earlier.)_   
LESTRADE: Neither do I.   
_(He pulls up the right sleeves of his own jacket and shirt to show a similar patch on his arm. Sherlock rolls his eyes and turns away and they both pull their sleeves back down again.)_   
LESTRADE: So let's work together. We've found Rachel.   
SHERLOCK (turning back to him): Who is she?   
LESTRADE: Jennifer Wilson's only daughter.   
SHERLOCK (frowning): Her daughter? Why would she write her daughter's name? Why?   
ANDERSON: Never mind _that_. We found the case.   
_(He points to the pink suitcase in the living room.)_   
ANDERSON: According to _someone_ , the murderer has the case, and we found it in the hands of our favourite psychopath. **

"He found that," John pointed out, defending his best friend. 

"We know, it now" Anderson snapped back, feeling guilty about his younger self. 

**SHERLOCK (looking at him disparagingly): I'm not a psychopath, Anderson. I'm a high-functioning sociopath. Do your research.   
_(He turns back to Lestrade.)_   
SHERLOCK: You need to bring Rachel in. You need to question her. _I_ need to question her.   
LESTRADE: She's dead.   
SHERLOCK: Excellent! **

Molly and Mrs Hudson jumps slightly at Sherlock's outburst before sighing. "Sherlock," Mrs Hudson cries. 

**_(John looks startled.)_   
SHERLOCK (to Lestrade): How, when and why? Is there a connection? There _has_ to be.   
LESTRADE: Well, I doubt it, since she's been dead for fourteen years. Technically she was never alive. Rachel was Jennifer Wilson's stillborn daughter, fourteen years ago.   
_(John grimaces sadly and turns away. Sherlock, on the other hand, just looks confused.)_   
SHERLOCK: No, that's ... that's not right. How ... Why would she do that? _Why?_   
ANDERSON: Why would she think of her daughter in her last moments?(!) Yup – sociopath; I'm seeing it now.   
SHERLOCK (turning to him with an exasperated look on his face): She didn't _think_ about her daughter. She scratched her name on the floor with her fingernails. She was dying. It took effort. It would have hurt.   
_(He begins to pace back and forth across the room again.)_   
JOHN: You said that the victims all took the poison themselves, that he _makes_ them take it. Well, maybe he ... I don't know, talks to them? Maybe he used the death of her daughter somehow.   
SHERLOCK (stopping and turning to him): Yeah, but that was _ages_ ago. Why would she still be upset? **

**John stares at him. Sherlock hesitates when he realises that everyone in the flat has stopped what they're doing and has fallen silent. He glances around the room and then looks awkwardly at John.**

**SHERLOCK: Not good? **

"Aww, his asking John," Molly awed, causing said doctor to blush.

**JOHN (also glancing around at the others before turning back to Sherlock): _Bit_ not good, yeah.   
_(Sherlock shakes it off and steps closer to John, looking at him intently.)_   
SHERLOCK: Yeah, but if you were dying ... if you'd been murdered: in your very last few seconds what would you say?   
JOHN: "Please, God, let me live."   
SHERLOCK (exasperated): Oh, use your imagination!   
JOHN: I don't _have_ to.   
_(Sherlock seems to recognise the look of pain in John's face. He pauses momentarily and blinks a couple of times, shifting his feet apologetically before continuing.)_   
SHERLOCK: Yeah, but if you were clever, _really_ clever ... Jennifer Wilson running all those lovers: she _was_ clever.   
_(He starts to pace again.)_   
SHERLOCK: She's trying to _tell_ us something.   
_(Mrs Hudson comes to the door of the living room.)_   
MRS HUDSON: Isn't the doorbell working? Your taxi's here, Sherlock. **

"When did he order a taxi?" Lestrade asks as the others try and remember when or why Sherlock had orderd a taxi.

"He didn't" John replied.

**SHERLOCK: I didn't order a taxi. Go away.   
_(He continues pacing as Mrs Hudson looks around the room.)_   
MRS HUDSON: Oh, dear. They're making such a mess. What are they looking for?   
JOHN: It's a drugs bust, Mrs Hudson.   
MRS HUDSON (anxiously): But they're just for my hip. They're herbal soothers.   
_(With his back to the door, Sherlock stops and shouts out.)_   
SHERLOCK: Shut up, everybody, shut up! Don't move, don't speak, don't breathe. I'm trying to think. Anderson, face the other way. You're putting me off.   
ANDERSON: What? My _face_ is?!   
LESTRADE: Everybody quiet and still. Anderson, turn your back.   
ANDERSON: Oh, for God's sake!   
LESTRADE (sternly): Your _back_ , now, please!   
SHERLOCK (to himself): Come on, think. Quick!   
MRS HUDSON: What about your taxi?   
SHERLOCK (turning to her and shouting furiously): MRS HUDSON!   
_(She turns and hurries away down the stairs. Sherlock stops and looks around as he finally realises something.)_   
SHERLOCK: Oh.   
_(He smiles in delight.)_   
SHERLOCK: Ah! She was clever, clever, yes!   
_(He walks across the room and then turns back to the others.)_   
SHERLOCK: She's cleverer than you lot and she's dead. Do you see, do you get it? She didn't _lose_ her phone, she never lost it. She _planted_ it on him.   
_(He starts pacing again.)_   
SHERLOCK: When she got out of the car, she knew that she was going to her death. She left the phone in order to lead us to her killer.   
LESTRADE: But how?   
SHERLOCK (stopping and staring at him): Wha...? What do you mean, how?   
_(Lestrade shrugs.)_   
SHERLOCK: Rachel! **

"What's he talking about, Rachel?" Anderson asks curiously. 

**_(He looks at everyone triumphantly. They all look back at him blankly.)_   
SHERLOCK: Don't you see? _Rachel!  
(Still everyone looks blank. Sherlock laughs in disbelief.)_   
SHERLOCK: Oh, look at you lot. You're all so vacant. Is it nice not being me? It must be _so_ relaxing. _(More sternly)_ Rachel is not a name.   
JOHN (equally sternly): Then what is it?   
SHERLOCK: John, on the luggage, there's a label. E-mail address.   
_(John looks at the label on the suitcase and reads out the address.)_   
JOHN: Er, jennie dot pink at mephone dot org dot uk.   
_(Sherlock has sat down at the dining table and is looking at his computer notebook.)_   
SHERLOCK: Oh, I've been too slow. She didn't have a laptop, which means she did her business on her phone, so it's a smartphone, it's e-mail enabled.   
_(He has pulled up Mephone's website and types the email address into the 'User name' box.)_   
SHERLOCK: So there was a website for her account. The username is her e-mail address ...   
_(He begins to type into the 'Password' box.)_   
SHERLOCK: ... and all together now, the password is?   
JOHN (walking over to stand behind him): Rachel.   
ANDERSON: So we can read her e-mails. So what?   
SHERLOCK: Anderson, don't talk out loud. You lower the I.Q. of the whole street. We can do much more than just read her e-mails. It's a smartphone, it's got GPS, which means if you lose it you can locate it online. She's leading us directly to the man who killed her.   
LESTRADE: Unless he got rid of it.   
JOHN: We know he didn't.   
_(Sherlock looks at the screen impatiently.)_   
SHERLOCK: Come on, come on. Quickly!   
_(Mrs Hudson trots up the stairs and comes to the door again.)_   
MRS HUDSON: Sherlock, dear. This taxi driver ...   
_(Sherlock gets to his feet and walks over towards her.)_   
SHERLOCK: Mrs Hudson, isn't it time for your evening soother? **

**John sits down on the chair which Sherlock vacated and watches a clock spinning round on the website as it claims that the phone will be located in under three minutes. Sherlock turns to Lestrade.**

**SHERLOCK: We need to get vehicles, get a helicopter.   
_(Mrs Hudson looks around anxiously as a man walks slowly up the stairs behind her.)_   
SHERLOCK (to Lestrade): We're gonna have to move fast. This phone battery won't last for ever.   
LESTRADE: We'll just have a map reference, not a name.   
SHERLOCK: It's a start!   
_(On the computer, a map has appeared and is now zooming in on the location of the phone.)_   
JOHN: Sherlock ...   
SHERLOCK (to Lestrade): It narrows it down from just anyone in London. It's the first proper lead that we've had.   
JOHN: Sherlock ...   
SHERLOCK (hurrying across the room to look over John's shoulder): What is it? Quickly, where?   
_(The map is now indicating the precise location of the phone.)_   
JOHN: It's here. It's in two two one Baker Street.   
SHERLOCK (straightening up): How can it be here? _How_?   
LESTRADE: Well, maybe it was in the case when you brought it back and it fell out somewhere.   
SHERLOCK: What, and I didn't notice it? _Me_? _I_ didn't notice?   
JOHN (to Lestrade): Anyway, we texted him and he called back.   
_(Lestrade turns to call out to his colleagues.)_ **

"You probably should of trusted them," Molly pointed out and Lestrade shrugs. 

"I had to make sure, but I don't exactly how they could of missed something that important." Lestrade says, almost apologetic towards John.

**LESTRADE: Guys, we're also looking for a mobile somewhere here, belonged to the victim ...   
_(Sherlock tunes him out as he begins to remember questions he asked to John earlier.)_   
SHERLOCK _(voiceover)_ : 'Who do we trust, even if we don't know them?' **

**Behind Mrs Hudson, the man has reached the top of the stairs. Wearing a cardigan and with a cap on his head obscuring his face, he has a badge in a leather holder on a cord around his neck. The badge is for a licenced London cab driver.**

**SHERLOCK (voiceover): 'Who passes unnoticed wherever they go?' **

**In a cut-away, a black taxi drives down a rainy street with its sign lit indicating that it's for hire.  
** **In flashback, at the railway station Sir Jeffrey Patterson walks to the cab rank and raises his hand to a taxi.**

**SHERLOCK _(voiceover)_ : 'Who hunts in the middle of a crowd?' **

**Sherlock stands lost in thought in the flat.  
** **In flashback, James Phillimore walks alone across the road, huddled against the pouring rain, and a vacant taxi drives along the road behind him.  
** **In flashback, Beth Davenport looks around despairingly when she realises that she doesn't have her car keys. Nearby, a vacant cab pulls up.  
** **In the flat, Sherlock turns, his mind racing as he puts all the clues together.  
** **In flashback, Jennifer Wilson arrives at a London train terminus and gets into the back of a taxi.  
** **Sherlock turns his head, still putting it all together. On the landing, the taxi driver takes a pink smartphone from his pocket and presses the screen to send a text. A moment later, Sherlock's own phone chimes a text alert. Taking his phone from his jacket pocket he looks at the message which simply reads:COME WITH ME. As he turns his head towards the door, the taxi driver turns around and calmly heads off down the stairs.**

**JOHN: Sherlock, you okay?   
SHERLOCK (vaguely, watching the man go): What? Yeah, yeah, I-I'm fine.   
JOHN: So, how can the phone be here?   
SHERLOCK (still watching the taxi driver): Dunno.   
JOHN (getting up to get his own phone out of his jeans pocket): I'll try it again.   
SHERLOCK: Good idea.   
_(He heads towards the door.)_   
JOHN: Where are _you_ going?   
SHERLOCK: Fresh air. Just popping outside for a moment. Won't be long.   
_(John frowns as Sherlock leaves the room, and calls after him.)_   
JOHN: You sure you're all right?   
SHERLOCK (hurrying down the stairs): I'm fine. **

"Is he really going to go after the murderer alone?" Molly asks, though she pretty much already knew the answer.

"Yes" Everyone that was there said almost instantly.

"He always seem to do that," John muses.

"What if?..."


	5. The Pink Lady (01x01 part 4/4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

**Downstairs, Sherlock opens the front door and stands on the doorstep for a moment while he shrugs himself into his coat. A taxi is parked at the kerb and the driver, Jeff Hope, is leaning casually against the side of the cab.**

"That's the killer, isn't it?" Molly asks concern lacing her voice.

"Yep,"

**JEFF: Taxi for Sherlock 'olmes.  
 _(Sherlock steps forward, closing the door behind him.)_  
SHERLOCK: I didn't order a taxi.  
JEFF: Doesn't mean you don't need one.  
SHERLOCK: You're the cabbie. The one who stopped outside Northumberland Street.**

**In flashback, the American man sits in the back of the cab outside the restaurant and turns his head to the front. In the driver's seat, Jeff looks over his shoulder and through the rear window of the cab before turning around again and starting to drive away.**

**SHERLOCK: It was _you_ , not your passenger.  
JEFF: See? No-one ever thinks about the cabbie. It's like you're invisible. Just the back of an 'ead. Proper advantage for a serial killer.  
 _(Sherlock takes a few more steps forward and looks up towards the windows of his flat.)_  
SHERLOCK: Is this a confession?**

"If it's a confession then why didn't Sherlock bring him in?" Anderson points out, but no one answers, cause well, they'll find out. 

**JEFF: Oh, yeah. An' I'll tell you what else: if you call the coppers now, I won't run. I'll sit quiet and they can take me down, I promise.  
SHERLOCK: Why?  
JEFF: 'Cause you're not gonna do that.  
SHERLOCK: Am I not?**

"Apparently not," 

**JEFF: I didn't kill those four people, Mr 'olmes. I spoke to 'em ... and they killed themselves. An' if you get the coppers now, I promise you one thing.  
 _(He leans forward.)_  
JEFF: I will never tell you what I said.  
 _(Sherlock stares at him. After a moment, Jeff straightens up and starts to walk around the front of the cab.)_  
SHERLOCK: No-one else will die, though, and I believe they call that a result.  
 _(Jeff stops and turns back towards him.)_  
JEFF: An' you won't ever understand how those people died. What kind of result do you care about?**

"The wrong kind," John replied, though his words were harsh his tone was soft, a slight smile curving his lips. 

**He turns again and continues around to the driver's door. Getting in, he sits down and closes the door, settling into his seat and ignoring Sherlock. Biting his lip, Sherlock walks closer to the cab, looking up again at the flat windows, then he bends and looks into the open side window of the cab.** **  
**

**SHERLOCK: If I _wanted_ to understand, what would I do?  
JEFF _(turning to look at him)_ : Let me take you for a ride.**

"Sherlock, don't you dare get in that car!!!!" Mrs Hudson cried out, like a mother scolding her child. 

"My brother, can be an idiot sometimes," Mycroft agreed, disappointment filling his voice. Everyone else muttered words of agreement, even Donovan, though quieter and less passionate, was yelling at the past Sherlock.

**SHERLOCK: So you can kill me too?  
JEFF: I don't wanna kill you, Mr 'olmes. I'm gonna talk to yer ... and then you're gonna kill yourself.**

**He turns to face the front again. Sherlock straightens up, his eyes lost in thought as he considers the situation. Jeff calmly sits gazing out of the front window, then smiles in satisfaction when the rear door opens. The cab dips as Sherlock gets in and then the door slams shut. Jeff starts the engine.**

And everyone proceeds to try and tear their hair out and scream profanities as Sherlock goes against their wishes.

**Upstairs, John has his phone held to his ear and is looking out of the window. The cab can be heard as it pulls away.**

**JOHN: He just got in a cab. _(He turns to Lestrade.)_ It's Sherlock. He just drove off in a cab.  
 _(Donovan, standing beside Lestrade, tuts in irritation.)_  
DONOVAN: I told you, he does that. _(She turns to Lestrade.)_ He bloody left again. _(She walks back into the kitchen, talking loudly.)_ We're wasting our time!  
JOHN _(to Lestrade )_: I'm calling the phone. It's ringing out.**

**In the cab, a phone is ringing. Sherlock watches Jeff as the pink phone – which Jeff has put in the well beside his seat – continues to ring. Back in the flat, Lestrade watches John as he continues to hold his phone to his ear.**

"Sherlock was right, the murderer really did have the phone the whole time," Anderson muttered, causing Donovan to huff in annoyance.

**LESTRADE: If it's ringing, it's not here.  
 _(John lowers his phone and reaches for the computer notebook.)_  
JOHN: I'll try the search again.  
 _(Donovan comes back to confront Lestrade.)_  
DONOVAN: Does it matter? Does _any_ of it? You know, he's just a lunatic, and he'll _always_ let you down, and you're wasting your time. _All_ our time.  
 _(Lestrade stares at her for a long moment as she holds his gaze, then he sighs.)_  
LESTRADE _(loudly)_ : Okay, everybody. Done 'ere. _  
_**

**In the cab, Sherlock is watching the London scenery pass by.**

**SHERLOCK: How did you find me?  
JEFF: Oh, I recognised yer, soon as I saw you chasing my cab. Sherlock 'olmes! I was warned about you. I've been on your website, too. Brilliant stuff! Loved it!  
SHERLOCK: Who warned you about me?  
JEFF: Just someone out there who's noticed you.  
SHERLOCK: Who?**

"Ten bucks says it's Moriarty," John mutters darky, causing the room to fall in an awkward tension. The three yarders, even if one doesn't know it, was slowly starting to see the truth.

**He leans forward, looking closely at the side of Jeff's neck, then noticing a photograph of a young boy and girl attached to the dashboard of the cab.**

**SHERLOCK: Who would notice _me_?  
JEFF _(meeting his eyes briefly in the rear view mirror)_ : You're too modest, Mr 'olmes.  
SHERLOCK: I'm really not.  
** **JEFF: You've got yourself a fan.  
** **SHERLOCK _(nonchalantly, sitting back in his seat)_ : Tell me more.  
** **JEFF: That's all you're gonna know ... _(He pauses dramatically for a moment.)_... in _this_ lifetime.**

"God does he have to be so dramatic?" Lestrade sighs.

**Back at the flat, as the other police officers leave, Lestrade picks up his coat and turns to John.  
**

**LESTRADE: Why did he do that? Why did he have to leave?  
JOHN _(shrugging)_ : You know him better than I do.  
LESTRADE: I've known him for five years and no, I don't.  
JOHN: So why do you put up with him?  
LESTRADE: Because I'm desperate, that's why.  
 _(He walks to the door, then turns back.)_  
LESTRADE: And because Sherlock Holmes is a great man. And I think one day, if we're very, very _lucky_ , he might even be a _good_ one.**

**He turns and leaves.**

"Yeah, like the freak could ever be called good," Donovan hissed.

**Some distance away, the cab drives on and finally stops at the front of two identical buildings side by side. Jeff turns off the engine and gets out, coming to the back door and opening it. He looks in at Sherlock.**

**SHERLOCK: Where are we?  
JEFF: You know every street in London. You know _exactly_ where we are.  
SHERLOCK: Roland-Kerr Further Education College. Why here?  
JEFF: It's open; cleaners are in. One thing about being a cabbie: you always know a nice quiet spot for a murder. I'm surprised more of us don't branch out.  
SHERLOCK: And you just walk your victims in? How?  
 _(Jeff raises a pistol and points it at Sherlock. Sherlock rolls his eyes and turns his head away.)_  
SHERLOCK: Oh, dull.**

"Seriously? You have a gun pointed to your head and your calling it dull?" Lestrade comments, and the others, excluding Donovan and Mycroft, chuckle slightly at him. As that was Sherlock for you.

**JEFF: Don't worry. It gets better.  
SHERLOCK: You can't make people take their own lives at gunpoint.  
JEFF: I don't. It's much better than that.  
 _(He lowers the gun.)_  
JEFF: Don't need this with you, 'cause you'll follow me.  
 _(He confidently walks away. Sherlock sits for a moment, then grimaces in exasperation at himself as he does just what Jeff predicted and gets out of the cab to follow the man.)_**

"At least Sherlock, is disappointed that he's following _him_ " John says.

** _221B Baker Street  
_ ** **John is alone in the flat. He appears to have decided to go home and walks towards the living room door, then looks down and clenches his right hand as if realising that he doesn't have his walking cane.**

"Were you really going to just leave him?" Molly asks in shock. 

"Well, I didn't exactly know him, so yes..." John replied sheepishly. 

**He looks round and sees the cane lying on top of a box of papers next to the dining table and goes over to collect it. With its back to him, Sherlock's notebook is still on Mephone's website and the clock is spinning on the screen while the site searches for Jennifer Wilson's phone. As John picks up the cane and heads for the door again, the computer beeps triumphantly and a map appears on the screen and starts to zoom in on the new location of the phone. John turns back as the computer beeps repeatedly. Going back to the table and propping his cane against it, he picks up the notebook and looks at the screen, then he turns and takes the notebook with him as he hurries out of the door and down the stairs, once again forgetting to take his cane.**

"You forgot your cane," Anderson, always pointing out the obivous.

**_Roland-Kerr College_  
Jeff opens the door of a room and stands aside so that Sherlock can go in. Sherlock looks at him closely but steps inside the room, then Jeff releases the door and lets it swing closed as he walks over to some switches on the wall and turns on the lights. The men are in a large classroom which has long fixed wooden benches and free-standing plastic chairs. Sherlock walks deeper into the room, looking around.**

**JEFF: Well, what do you think?  
 _(Sherlock raises his hands and shrugs as if to ask, 'What do I think about what?')_  
JEFF: It's up to you. You're the one who's gonna die 'ere.  
 _(Sherlock turns back to him.)_  
SHERLOCK: No, I'm not.  
JEFF: That's what they all say.**

"Since when was Sherlock normal?" Molly asks, laughing slightly. 

"Why can she say it?" Donovan snapped.

"Because she wasn't being mean," Mrs Hudson scolded.

**_(He gestures to one of the benches.)_  
JEFF: Shall we talk?**

**Without waiting for a reply, he pulls out one of the chairs and sits down. Sherlock takes a chair from the bench in front, flips it around and sits down opposite. He sighs dramatically while he takes off his gloves and puts them into his coat pockets.**

**SHERLOCK: Bit risky, wasn't it? Took me away under the eye of about half a dozen policemen. They're not _that_ stupid. And Mrs Hudson will remember you.**

"Does he really have that much faith in us?" Lestrade asks, once again shocked by Sherlock, but this time in a different way.

"No, he was just trying to freak him out," John replied in a monotone voice, causing all of Lestrade's hope to crush. 

**JEFF: You call that a risk? Nah.  
 _(He reaches into the left pocket of his cardigan.)_  
JEFF: _This_ is a risk.  
 _(He takes out a small glass bottle with a screw top and puts it onto the table in front of him. There is a single large capsule inside. Sherlock looks at it but doesn't react in any way.)_  
JEFF: Ooh, I like this bit. 'Cause you don't get it yet, do yer? But you're about to. I just have to do this.  
 _(Reaching into his right pocket, he takes out an identical bottle containing an identical capsule and puts it onto the table beside the first bottle.)_  
JEFF: You weren't expecting that, were yer?  
 _(He leans forward.)_  
JEFF: Ooh, you're going to love this.  
SHERLOCK: Love what?  
JEFF _(sitting back again)_ : Sherlock 'olmes. Look at you! 'Ere in the flesh. That website of yours: your fan told me about it.  
SHERLOCK: My _fan_?**

"Didn't Jeff say that he had a fan before?" Anderson points out. 

"Whose Jeff?" Molly asks, whilst the others, not including Mycroft, nod in agreement. 

"The killer, the name was on the files," Anderson comments, causing everyone to be shocked at him.

**JEFF: You are brilliant. You _are_. A proper genius. "The Science of Deduction." Now that is _proper_ thinking. Between you and me sitting 'ere, why can't people think?  
 _(He looks down angrily.)_  
JEFF: Don't it make you mad? Why can't people just _think_?  
 _(He looks up again into Sherlock's eyes. Sherlock looks back at him for a long moment, narrowing his eyes, then makes a realisation.)_  
SHERLOCK _(his voice dripping with sarcasm)_ : Oh, _I_ see. So you're a proper genius _too_.  
JEFF: Don't look it, do I? Funny little man drivin' a cab. But you'll know better in a minute. Chances are it'll be the last thing you _ever_ know.  
 _(Sherlock holds his gaze for a second or two, then looks down to the table.)_  
SHERLOCK: Okay, two bottles. Explain.**

"I'm suprised that my brother hasn't figured it out, so simple," Mycroft tuts, causing everyone else to roll their eyes at him.

 **JEFF: There's a good bottle and a bad bottle. You take the pill from the good bottle, you live; take the pill from the bad bottle, you die.  
SHERLOCK: Both bottles are of course identical.  
JEFF: In every way.  
SHERLOCK: And you know which is which.  
JEFF: Course _I_ know.  
SHERLOCK: But I don't.  
JEFF: Wouldn't be a game if _you_ knew. You're the one who chooses.  
SHERLOCK: Why should I? I've got nothing to go on. What's in it for me?  
JEFF: I 'aven't told you the best bit yet. Whatever bottle you choose, I take the pill from the other one – and then, together, we take our medicine.  
** ** _(Sherlock starts to grin. Now he's interested.)_** **  
**

"And now he's interested," John mutters under his breath with a sigh.

**JEFF: I won't cheat. It's your choice. I'll take whatever pill you don't.  
 _(Sherlock looks down at the bottles, concentrating properly now.)_  
JEFF: Didn't expect _that_ , did you, Mr 'olmes?  
SHERLOCK: This is what you did to the rest of them: you gave them a choice.  
JEFF: And now I'm givin' _you_ one.  
 _(Sherlock looks up at him.)_  
JEFF: You take your time. Get yourself together.  
 _(He licks his lips in anticipation.)_  
JEFF: I want your best game.  
SHERLOCK: It's not a _game_. It's _chance_.  
JEFF: I've played four times. I'm alive. It's not chance, Mr 'olmes, it's chess. It's a game of chess, with one move, and one survivor. And this ... _this_ ... is the move.**

"If it wan't clear before, it is now, the dudes crazy," Anderson comments causing a few people to chuckle.

**_(With his left hand he slides the left-hand bottle across the table towards Sherlock. He licks his top lip as he pulls his hand back and leaves the bottle where it is.)_  
JEFF: Did I just give you the good bottle or the bad bottle? You can choose either one.  
  
John is in the back of a taxi. He has the computer notebook open on his lap and is holding his phone to his ear.**

**JOHN _(into phone)_ : No, Detective Inspector Lestrade. I _need_ to speak to him. It's important. It's an emergency!**

"At least you didn't totally abounded him," Molly mused, a soft smile adorning her lips. 

"Sorry 'bout that," Lestrade says, nodding at the screen.

**_(The map on the laptop shows the location of Jennifer's phone again.)_  
JOHN _(to the cab driver)_ : Er, left here, please. Left here.  
  
 _ROLAND-KERR COLLEGE.  
_** **Jeff looks down at the bottles briefly then meets Sherlock's eyes.**

**JEFF: You ready yet, Mr 'olmes? Ready to play?  
SHERLOCK: Play _what_? It's a fifty-fifty chance.  
JEFF: You're not playin' the numbers, you're playin' _me_. Did I just give you the good pill or the bad pill? Is it a bluff? Or a double-bluff? Or a _triple_ -bluff?  
SHERLOCK: Still just chance.  
JEFF: Four people in a row? It's not just chance.  
SHERLOCK: Luck.  
JEFF: It's genius. I know 'ow people think.  
** **_(Sherlock rolls his eyes.)_ **

"He really does get bored easy," Anderson mutters, almost shocked.

"Oh, you have no idea" John muttered remembering all the weird and stupid things Sherlock did when he was bored.

**JEFF: I know 'ow people think _I_ think. I can see it all, like a map inside my 'ead.  
 _(Sherlock looks exasperated.)_  
JEFF: Everyone's so stupid – even you.  
 _(Sherlock's gaze sharpens.)_  
JEFF: Or maybe God just loves me.  
 _(Sherlock straightens up and leans forward, clasping his hands in front of him on the table.)_  
SHERLOCK: Either way, you're _wasted_ as a cabbie.  
  
John has arrived at Roland-Kerr College. As the taxi pulls away, John tucks the notebook into his jacket and looks at the two identical buildings in front of him. Clearly the map isn't precise enough to indicate exactly where the phone is. After a moment, he makes his choice and heads towards the buildings.**

**In the classroom, Sherlock lifts his clasped hands in front of his mouth and gazes at Jeff intently.**

"Just walk away," Mrs Hudson mutters over and over again like a prayer. 

**SHERLOCK: So, you risked your life four times just to kill strangers. Why?  
 _(Jeff nods down to the bottles.)_  
JEFF: Time to play.  
SHERLOCK _(unfolding his fingers and adopting the prayer position in front of his mouth)_ : Oh, I _am_ playing. This is _my_ turn. There's shaving foam behind your left ear. Nobody's pointed it out to you.  
 _(Flashback to Jeff sitting in the driver's seat of the cab, which is when Sherlock noticed this.)_  
SHERLOCK: Traces of where it's happened before, so obviously you live on your own; there's no-one to tell you.  
 _(Jeff tries not to fidget under Sherlock's gaze.)_  
SHERLOCK: But there's a photograph of children. The children's mother has been cut out of the picture. If she'd died, she'd still be there.**

**Flashback to the photograph attached to the dashboard of the cab. There is indeed a third person at the left of the photograph but the photo has been cut along that side to remove most of her image.**

**SHERLOCK: The photograph's old but the frame's new. You think of your children but you don't get to see them.  
 _(Jeff's gaze slides away from Sherlock and for the first time there's a hint of pain in his eyes.)_  
SHERLOCK: Estranged father. She took the kids, but you still love them and it _still_ hurts.  
 _(He extends his index fingers.)_  
SHERLOCK: Ah, but there's more.  
 _(Jeff lifts his gaze back to Sherlock as he points his index fingers towards him.)_  
SHERLOCK: Your clothes: recently laundered but everything you're wearing's at least ... three years old? Keeping up appearances but not planning ahead. And here you are on a kamikaze murder spree. What's _that_ about?  
 _(Jeff has got control of himself again and his expression says nothing as he gazes back at Sherlock. The detective's eyes widen slightly as he makes his most important deduction.)_  
SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : Ahh. Three years ago – is that when they told you?  
** **JEFF _(flatly)_ : Told me what?  
** **_(Sherlock's deduction seems to appear beside Jeff's head:_ **

**  
###**

**DYING**

**###**

**SHERLOCK: That you're a dead man walking.**

"How could Sherlock possibly know that?" Anderson asked in shock. 

"He observes unlike you people," Mycroft retorts sharply, though everyone just ignored the sharp bite to his voice. 

**JEFF: So are you.  
SHERLOCK: You don't have long, though. Am I right?  
 _(Jeff smiles.)_  
JEFF: Aneurism.  
 _(He lifts his right hand and taps the side of his head.)_  
JEFF: Right in 'ere.  
 _(Sherlock smiles in satisfaction.)_  
JEFF: Any breath could be my last.  
SHERLOCK _(frowning again)_ : And because you're dying, you've just murdered four people.  
JEFF: I've _outlived_ four people. That's the most fun you can _'ave_ on an aneurism.**

"Thats.... a very bleak outlook, and so not true," Molly commented. 

"Mmh, why not compelte your bucket list," Mrs Hudson added. "Unless murder is on that bucket list, then don't,"

**SHERLOCK _(thoughtfully)_ : No. No, there's something else. You didn't just kill four people because you're bitter. Bitterness is a paralytic. Love is a much more vicious motivator. Somehow this is about your children.  
JEFF _(looking away and sighing)_ : Ohh.  
 _(He looks at Sherlock again.)_  
JEFF: You _are_ good, ain't you?  
SHERLOCK: But _how_?  
JEFF: When I die, they won't get much, my kids. Not a lot of money in driving cabs.  
SHERLOCK: Or serial killing.  
JEFF: You'd be surprised.  
SHERLOCK: Surprise me.  
 _(Jeff leans forward.)_  
JEFF: I 'ave a sponsor.**

"Who would be sick enough to sponser serial killers?" Lestrade asks appoled.

"You mean besides the freak," Donovan hisses, at the same time that John replies with;

"Moriarty" 

**SHERLOCK: You have a what?  
JEFF: For every life I take, money goes to my kids. The more I kill, the better off they'll be. You see? It's nicer than you think.  
SHERLOCK _(frowning)_ : Who'd sponsor a serial killer?  
JEFF _(instantly)_ : Who'd be a fan of Sherlock 'olmes?**

"Alot of people," John muttered, "Until they all turned on him," He added.

**_(They stare at each other for a moment.)_  
JEFF: You're not the only one to enjoy a good murder. There's others out there just like you, except you're just a man ... and they're so much more than that.  
 _(The side of Sherlock's nose twitches in distaste.)_  
SHERLOCK: What d'you mean, _more_ than a man? An organisation? What?  
JEFF: There's a name no-one says, an' I'm not gonna say it either. Now, enough chatter.  
 _(He nods down to the bottles.)_  
JEFF: Time to choose.  
 _(Sherlock looks down to the bottles, his eyes moving from one to the other.)_**

**Elsewhere in the college, John is running through the corridors.  
JOHN _(calling out)_ : Sherlock?  
 _(He runs from door to door, trying them and peering in through windows.)_  
JOHN: Sherlock!**

**_CLASSROOM._  
SHERLOCK: What if I don't choose either? I _could_ just walk out of here.  
 _(Sighing in a combination of exasperation and disappointment, Jeff lifts up the pistol and points it at Sherlock.)_  
JEFF: You can take your fifty-fifty chance, or I can shoot you in the head.  
 _(Sherlock smiles calmly.)_  
JEFF: Funnily enough, no-one's ever gone for that option.  
SHERLOCK: I'll have the gun, please.**

"WHAT!" Molly cried in outrage. But she was the only one who was shocked, as Mycroft, was well Mycroft, John and Mrs Hudson trusted Sherlock and the yarders mostly Lestrade had noitced it. 

**JEFF: Are you sure?  
SHERLOCK _(still smiling)_ : Definitely. The gun.  
JEFF: You don't wanna phone a friend?  
 _(Sherlock smiles confidently.)_  
SHERLOCK: The gun.  
 _(Jeff's mouth tightens, and slowly he squeezes the trigger. A small flame bursts out of the end of the muzzle. Sherlock smiles smugly.)_  
SHERLOCK: I know a real gun when I see one.  
 _(Calmly Jeff lifts the pistol/cigarette lighter and releases the trigger. The flame goes out.)_  
JEFF: None of the others did.**

"Personally, I reckon it would be weird if they knew the difference." Anderson commented randomly, earning alot of weird looks. "I mean it's a tragidy that they didn't notice and ended up dying, but what weird things would they have to do to notice a real gun,"

**SHERLOCK: Clearly. Well, this has been _very_ interesting. I look forward to the court case.  
 _(He stands up and walks towards the door. Jeff puts the gun onto the desk and calmly turns in his seat.)_  
JEFF: Just before you go, did you figure it out ...  
 _(Sherlock stops at the door and half-turns towards him.)_  
JEFF: ... which one's the good bottle?  
SHERLOCK: Of course. Child's play.  
JEFF: Well, which one, then?  
 _(Sherlock opens the door a little but shows no sign of leaving the room.)_  
JEFF: Which one would you 'ave picked, just so I know whether I could have beaten you?  
 _(Sherlock closes the door again.)_  
JEFF _(chuckling)_ : Come on. Play the game.**

**Slowly Sherlock walks back towards him. When he gets to the table, he reaches out and sweeps up the bottle nearest to Jeff, then walks past him. Jeff looks down at the other bottle with interest but his voice gives nothing away as he speaks.**

**JEFF: Oh. Interesting. _  
_**

**He picks up the other bottle as Sherlock looks down at the bottle in his own hand.  
**

**Out in the corridors, John is still running along and searching.**

"John, hurry up," Molly and like half of the people watching muttered, trying to urge the docter to run faster.

**In the classroom, Jeff has opened his bottle and tips the capsule out into his hand. He holds it up and looks at it closely while Sherlock examines his own bottle**

**JEFF: So what d'you think?  
 _(He looks up at Sherlock.)_  
JEFF: Shall we?  
 _(In the corridors, John pulls open yet another door and looks inside the room before hurrying onwards.)_  
JEFF: _Really_ , what do you think?  
 _(He has stood up and is facing Sherlock.)_  
JEFF: Can you beat me?  
 _(John races up a flight of stairs and continues his search.)_  
JEFF: Are you clever enough to bet your life?**

**John bursts through a door and stares ahead of him as he finally sees who he's looking for. His eyes fill with horror. Inside the classroom, Sherlock lifts his gaze from the bottle he's holding and looks towards the door ... and the camera zooms over his shoulder and out of the window behind him, soaring across the courtyard outside and in through another window to reveal John standing in an identical classroom in the other building, too far away to be of help. John cries out in horror.**

"NOOOOO!!!!" The more compasionate, people watching all scream out in shock, besides for John, who was there. 

**JOHN: _SHERLOCK!  
(Unaware that they're being watched, Jeff continues to hold up his pill as he looks at Sherlock.)_  
JEFF: I bet you get bored, don't you? I _know_ you do. A man like you ...  
 _(Sherlock unscrews the lid of the bottle.)_  
JEFF: ... so clever. But what's the point of being clever if you can't prove it?  
 _(Sherlock takes out the capsule and holds it between his thumb and finger, raising it to the light to examine it more closely.)_  
JEFF: Still the addict.  
 _(Slowly Sherlock lowers the pill again, holding it at eye level and gazing at it.)_  
JEFF: But this ... _this_ is what you're really addicted to, innit?  
 _(Sherlock holds the pill in his fingers and stares at it.)_  
JEFF: You'd do anything ... anything at all ...  
 _(Sherlock's fingers begin to tremble with excitement and anticipation.)_  
JEFF: ... to stop being bored.  
 _(Slowly Sherlock begins to move the pill closer to his mouth. Jeff matches the movement with his own pill towards his own mouth.)_  
JEFF: You're not bored now, are you?  
 _(Each of their hands gets closer to their mouths.)_  
JEFF: Innit good?**

"He's not actually going to take that... is he?" Lestrade asks, almost worried. He doesn't get an answer, or at least not a worded one. But as John hang his head sadly, well that was answer enough.

**A gunshot rings out and a bullet impacts Jeff's chest close to his heart, continuing through his body and smashing into the door behind him. As he falls to the floor, Sherlock drops his pill in surprise. In the opposite building, John has his pistol still raised and aimed out of the window. He lowers the gun to his side. In the other building, Sherlock turns, slides over the desk behind him and hurries to the window, bending down to stare through the bullet hole in the glass. The window of the opposite room is open but there is nobody in sight. As Sherlock straightens up, Jeff breathes heavily and coughs. Sherlock turns back, looking around the room and seeing one of the pills lying on one of the desks as Jeff convulses on the floor and gasps and coughs in pain. Sherlock snatches up the pill, kneels down and brandishes it at Jeff, who has a large pool of blood underneath him and is staring up at him in shock.**

**SHERLOCK: Was I right?  
 _(Jeff turns his head away in disbelief.)_  
SHERLOCK: I was, wasn't I? Did I get it right?**

"Do you think ge got it right?" Molly asked, almost wistfully. No one answered her, for no one, not even Mycroft knew the answer. 

**_(Jeff doesn't reply. Sherlock angrily hurls the pill across the room and stands up.)_  
SHERLOCK: Okay, tell me this: your sponsor. Who was it? The one who told you about me – my 'fan.' I want a name.  
JEFF _(weakly)_ : No.  
SHERLOCK: You're dying, but there's still time to hurt you. Give me a name.  
 _(Jeff shakes his head. Grimacing angrily, Sherlock lifts his foot and puts it onto Jeff's shoulder. Jeff gasps in pain.)_**

"Sherlock!" Mrs Hudson chatised, not being able to help herself.

**SHERLOCK: A _name.  
(Jeff cries out in pain.)_  
SHERLOCK: _Now.  
(Still Jeff can only whine in pain. His face intent and manic, Sherlock leans his weight onto his foot. Jeff whimpers.)_  
SHERLOCK _(furiously)_ : The _NAME!_  
JEFF _(agonised)_ : _MORIARTY!_**

**His eyes close and his head rolls to the side. Sherlock steps back, turning his head away and looking reflective. After a few seconds, he silently mouths the word 'Moriarty' to himself.**

**_LATER._  
Outside the college, Sherlock is sitting on the back steps of an ambulance. A paramedic puts an orange blanket around his shoulders as Lestrade walks over. Sherlock gestures to the blanket.**

**SHERLOCK: Why have I got this blanket? They keep putting this blanket on me.  
LESTRADE: Yeah, it's for shock.  
SHERLOCK: I'm not _in_ shock.  
LESTRADE: Yeah, but some of the guys wanna take photographs.**

"Why am I not suprised," John mumbled as the Yarders grin over at him.

**_(He grins. Sherlock rolls his eyes.)_  
SHERLOCK: So, the shooter. No sign?  
LESTRADE: Cleared off before we got 'ere. But a guy like that would have had enemies, I suppose. One of them could have been following him but ... _(he shrugs)_ ... got nothing to go on.  
 _(Sherlock looks at him pointedly.)_  
SHERLOCK: Oh, I wouldn't say that.  
 _(Now it's Lestrade's turn to roll his eyes.)_  
LESTRADE: Okay, gimme.  
SHERLOCK _(standing up)_ : The bullet they just dug out of the wall's from a hand gun. Kill shot over that distance from that kind of a weapon – that's a crack shot you're looking for, but not just a marksman; a fighter. His hands couldn't have shaken at all, so clearly he's acclimatised to violence. He didn't fire until I was in immediate danger, though, so strong moral principle. You're looking for a man probably with a history of military service ...  
 _(While he's talking, he turns his head to look around the area and sees John standing some distance away behind the police tape.)_  
SHERLOCK: ... and nerves of steel ...**

**He trails off. As John looks back at him innocently and then turns his head away, Sherlock clearly begins to realise the connection. Lestrade turns to follow Sherlock's gaze and Sherlock turns back to him before he can start to ask questions.**

**SHERLOCK: Actually, do you know what? Ignore me.  
LESTRADE: Sorry?  
SHERLOCK: Ignore all of that. It's just the, er, the shock talking.**

"Aww, look at Sherlock, protecting John," Everyone chuckles at John.

**_(He starts to walk towards John.)_  
LESTRADE: Where're you going?  
SHERLOCK: I just need to talk about the-the rent.  
LESTRADE: But I've still got questions for you.  
SHERLOCK _(turning back to him in irritation)_ : Oh, what _now_? I'm in shock! Look, I've got a blanket!  
 _(He brandishes the sides of the blanket at Lestrade as if to prove it.)_  
LESTRADE: Sherlock!  
SHERLOCK: _And_ I just caught you a serial killer ... more or less.  
 _(Lestrade looks at him thoughtfully for a moment.)_  
LESTRADE: Okay. We'll bring you in tomorrow. Off you go.**

**Sherlock walks away. Lestrade smiles as he watches him go. Taking the blanket from around his shoulders, Sherlock bundles it up as he approaches John, who is standing at the side of a police car. Sherlock tosses the blanket through the open window of the car and ducks under the police tape.**

**JOHN: Um, Sergeant Donovan's just been explaining everything, the two pills. Been a dreadful business, hasn't it? Dreadful.  
** **_(Sherlock looks at him for a moment.)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK _(quietly)_ : Good shot.  
** **JOHN _(trying and utterly failing to look innocent)_ : Yes. Yes, must have been, through that window.**

"You're a terrible actor," Mrs Hudson comments causing John to sheepishly smile slightly. 

**SHERLOCK: Well, _you'd_ know.  
 _(John gazes up at him, still unsuccessfully trying not to let his expression give him away.)_  
SHERLOCK: Need to get the powder burns out of your fingers. I don't suppose you'd serve time for this, but let's avoid the court case.  
 _(John clears his throat and looks around nervously.)_  
SHERLOCK: Are you all right?  
JOHN: Yes, of course I'm all right.  
SHERLOCK: Well, you _have_ just killed a man.  
JOHN: Yes, I ...  
 _(He trails off. Sherlock looks at him closely.)_  
JOHN: That's true, innit?  
 _(He smiles. Sherlock continues to watch him carefully.)_  
JOHN: But he wasn't a very _nice_ man.  
 _(Apparently reassured that John really is okay, Sherlock nods in agreement.)_  
SHERLOCK: No. No, he wasn't really, was he?  
JOHN: And frankly a bloody awful cabbie.  
 _(Sherlock chuckles, then turns and starts to lead them away.)_  
SHERLOCK: That's true. He _was_ a bad cabbie. Should have seen the route he took us to get here!  
 _(John giggles, and Sherlock smiles.)_**

"You two really are children," Mycroft sighed as he spoke. 

"Freaks," Donovan hissed under her breath.

**JOHN: Stop! Stop, we can't giggle, it's a crime scene! Stop it!  
SHERLOCK: You're the one who shot him. Don't blame me.  
JOHN: Keep your voice down!  
 _(They're walking past Sergeant Donovan.)_  
JOHN _(to Donovan)_ : Sorry – it's just, um, nerves, I think.  
SHERLOCK _(to Donovan)_ : Sorry.  
 _(John clears his throat as they walk away from Donovan.)_  
JOHN: You were gonna take that damned pill, weren't you?  
 _(Sherlock stops and turns back to him.)_  
SHERLOCK: Course I wasn't. Biding my time. Knew you'd turn up.  
JOHN: No you didn't. It's how you get your kicks, isn't it? You risk your life to prove you're clever.  
SHERLOCK: Why would I do that?  
JOHN: Because you're an idiot.**

Everyone laughs at that cause it was true.

**Sherlock smiles, apparently delighted that he has finally found someone who understands him and – more to the point – doesn't care about his behaviour. After a moment he forces the smile down.**

**SHERLOCK: Dinner?  
JOHN: Starving.  
 _(They turn and start to walk again.)_  
SHERLOCK: End of Baker Street, there's a good Chinese stays open 'til two. You can always tell a good Chinese by examining the bottom third of the door handle.  
 _(As he has been speaking, a few yards ahead of them a car has pulled up and the man who abducted John earlier gets out. Not-Anthea is with him. John stares.)_  
JOHN: Sherlock. That's him. That's the man I was talking to you about.  
 _(Sherlock looks across at the man.)_  
SHERLOCK: I know _exactly_ who that is.**

"I would hope so," Mycroft commented dryly.

**He walks closer to the man and stops, looking at him angrily. John glances round to gauge where the police are in case he needs to summon their help. The man speaks pleasantly to Sherlock.**

**MYCROFT: So, another case cracked. How very public spirited ... though that's never really your motivation, is it?  
SHERLOCK: What are you doing here?  
MYCROFT: As ever, I'm concerned about you.  
SHERLOCK: Yes, I've been hearing about your 'concern.'  
MYCROFT: Always so aggressive. Did it never occur to you that you and I belong on the same side?  
SHERLOCK: Oddly enough, no!  
MYCROFT: We have more in common than you like to believe. This petty feud between us is simply childish. People will suffer ... and you know how it always upset Mummy.  
 _(John frowns as if unsure of what he just heard.)_**

"Poor John, you must have been so confused," Molly coed, and John chuckle, noding slightly.

**SHERLOCK: _I_ upset her? Me?  
 _(The man glowers at him.)_  
SHERLOCK: It wasn't _me_ that upset her, Mycroft.  
JOHN: No, no, wait. Mummy? Who's Mummy?  
SHERLOCK: Mother – our mother. This is my brother, Mycroft.  
 _(John stares at the man in amazement.)_  
SHERLOCK _(to Mycroft)_ : Putting on weight again?  
MYCROFT: Losing it, in fact.  
JOHN _(to Sherlock)_ : He's your _brother_?!  
SHERLOCK: Of _course_ he's my brother.  
JOHN: So he's not ...  
SHERLOCK: Not what?  
 _(The brothers look at John as he shrugs in embarrassment.)_  
JOHN: I dunno – criminal mastermind?  
 _(He grimaces at having even suggested it. Sherlock looks at Mycroft disparagingly.)_  
SHERLOCK: Close enough.  
MYCROFT: For goodness' sake. I occupy a minor position in the British government.  
SHERLOCK: He _is_ the British government, when he's not too busy being the British Secret Service or the CIA on a freelance basis.  
 _(Mycroft sighs.)_  
SHERLOCK: Good evening, Mycroft. Try not to start a war before I get home. You know what it does for the traffic.  
 _(He walks away. John starts to follow him but then turns back to Mycroft, who has turned to watch his brother.)_  
JOHN: So, when-when you say you're concerned about him, you actually _are_ concerned?  
MYCROFT: Yes, of course.  
JOHN: I mean, it actually _is_ a childish feud?  
MYCROFT _(still watching his brother)_ : He's always been so resentful. You can imagine the Christmas dinners.  
JOHN: Yeah ... no. God, no!  
 _(He half-turns to follow Sherlock.)_  
JOHN: I-I'd better, um ...  
 _(He turns back to not-Anthea, who has been standing nearby throughout the conversation with her eyes fixed on her BlackBerry.)_  
JOHN: Hello again.  
 _(She looks up and smiles brightly.)_  
NOT-ANTHEA: Hello.  
JOHN: Yes, we-we met earlier on this evening.  
 _(She stares at him as if she has never seen him before but is pretending that she remembers him.)_  
NOT-ANTHEA: Oh!  
JOHN _(somewhat exasperated)_ : Okay, good night.  
 _(He includes Mycroft in his glance, then turns and follows after Sherlock.)_  
MYCROFT: Good night, Doctor Watson.  
 _(John catches up to Sherlock and they walk away side by side.)_  
JOHN: So: dim sum.  
SHERLOCK: Mmm! I can always predict the fortune cookies.  
JOHN: No you can't.  
SHERLOCK: Almost can. You did get shot, though.  
JOHN: Sorry?  
SHERLOCK: In Afghanistan. There _was_ an actual wound.  
JOHN: Oh, yeah. Shoulder.**

"If it's your shoulder then why do you have a limp?" Anderson asked curiously. John shuffled slightly in his seat but didn't respond. 

**SHERLOCK: Shoulder! I thought so.  
JOHN: No you didn't.  
SHERLOCK: The left one.  
JOHN: Lucky guess.  
SHERLOCK: I never guess.  
JOHN _(laughing)_ : Yes you do.  
 _(He looks across to Sherlock, who is smiling.)_  
JOHN: What are you so happy about?  
SHERLOCK: Moriarty.  
JOHN: What's Moriarty?  
SHERLOCK _(cheerfully)_ : I've absolutely _no_ idea.  
 _(Back at the car, not-Anthea turns to Mycroft who is watching the boys as they walk away.)_  
NOT-ANTHEA: Sir, shall we go?  
MYCROFT: Interesting, that soldier fellow.  
 _(Not-Anthea looks briefly at the departing boys, then turns her attention back to her BlackBerry.)_  
MYCROFT: He could be the making of my brother – or make him worse than ever. Either way, we'd better upgrade their surveillance status. Grade Three Active.**

"Cause that's not totally creepy," 

**_(Not-Anthea looks up from her phone.)_  
NOT-ANTHEA: Sorry, sir. Whose status?  
 _(Mycroft intensely watches the departing men.)_  
MYCROFT: Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.**

**Hero!shot as our boys walk in slow motion towards the camera before turning and smiling at each other.**


	6. Some questions answered (00x00)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

The screen turned blank after Sherlock and Watson had walked off screen. Everyone waited for five minutes, not that they were counting, for the screen to turn back on. When it didn't turn back on they started moving around. Anderson moved closer to where the others were sitting and away from Donovan. Which made said Sergant frown after him.

The other's stretched got up and started stretching feeling quite cramped from sitting down for so long. 

\----

**_You must be starving, please eat, it wont harm any of you. It will only take a moment for the next case to start_ **

\----

"Which case is next?" Lestrade asks curiously, turning to face John, who frowned in response.

"Umm... I would say the next big case, which I'm guessing are just cases that involve Moriarty, would be The Blind Banker," John replied after a second or two in thought. 

Molly was the first to move closer to the food. Hunger getting the better of her. "Do you really think that it's safe to eat?" Molly asks curiously. When all she gets are shrugs Molly sighs but starts filling her plate. Gingerly, she takes a bit out of some corn, and she doesn't immediantly die she sits back down and starts eating. 

After Molly sat down everyone else grabbed something thing to eat. Once everyone had seated back down, Lestrade finally seemed to realise something. 

"How long are these going to take? Because I'm pretty sure people are going to notice us missing,"

\----

**While there are six cases all up, do not worry about time. For once you have watched all the cases, you will be sent back exactly where you left.**

\----

"How on earth could you possibly do that?" Anderson asked causing Mycroft to chuckle.

"This mysterious thing, teleported us, it is only natural it should be able to teleport us back, a better question would have been if we would remember what happened here?" Mycroft retorted, causing Anderson to glare at him.

\----

**Yes you will be able to remember everything that happened here.**

\----

"And where's 'here' exactly?" John asked glancing around. 

\----

**That... is not important. And I probably can't explain anyway, now anymore questions before the next case starts?**

\----

Everyone glances at each other for a few minutes, no one really thinking of anything else.

"And who are you deary?" Mrs Hudson asks, okay so Mrs Hudson could think of something else. Mrs Hudson's questions causing a couple of people to mentally slap themselves for being so stupid. 

\----

**That's not important either, what is important is watching these cases and finding out the truth... so without further udo**

\-----

The second everyone had finsihed reading, the words were swept away revealing....


	7. The Blind Baker (01x02 part 1/4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

**_NATIONAL ANTIQUITIES MUSEUM_  
An ancient Chinese clay tea set has been arranged on a tray. Oriental flute music is playing gently. A young Chinese woman, Soo Lin Yao, takes a large pinch of tea leaves from a bowl and sprinkles them into a clay teapot before pouring water on top of them. A group of children and a few adults are watching her demonstration. **

"Whose that?" Molly asks staring curiously at the young woman. 

"Um, Soo Lin, she helped us with the case," John replied frowning slightly. 

"Do you think this will tell us something important? Like how the last case had the deaths?" Lestrade asks curiously, everyone he turns to shrugs back until finally he turns to Mycroft who ignores him, mostly because he didn't really have a questions.

**SOO LIN: The great artisans say the more the teapot is used, the more beautiful it becomes. **

**She has deliberately overfilled the pot so that when she picks up the lid and gently presses it down into place, water spills out over the sides of the pot. Now she picks up a small jug and pours more liquid over the top of the pot.**

**SOO LIN: The pot is seasoned by repeatedly pouring tea over the surface. The deposit left on the clay creates this beautiful patina over time. **

"It really is beautiful," Mrs Hudson muses, and Molly hums in agreement. 

**_(She holds up the wet teapot to show her audience how the pot is shining.)_   
SOO LIN: For some pots, the clay has been burnished by tea made over four hundred years ago. **

**_  
SOME TIME LATER_  
The visitors have left and Soo Lin is gently drying and dusting off the tea set with a brush. **

**TANNOY ANNOUNCEMENT: This museum will be closing in ten minutes.   
_(A young English male employee, Andy Galbraith, walks over. He stands behind her and watches as she carefully packs the tea set into a box.)_   
ANDY _(in a joking tone)_ : Four hundred years old, and they're lettin' you use it to make yourself a brew!   
SOO LIN _(not turning around)_ : Some things aren't supposed to sit behind glass. They're made to be touched; to be handled.   
_(She turns and looks at him. Andy – who clearly has a massive crush on her – looks back at her all doe-eyed. She turns back to the box and frowns.)_   
SOO LIN: These pots need attention. _(She holds up a dry-looking pot with no shine on it.)_ The clay is cracking.   
ANDY: Well, I can't see how a tiny splash of tea's gonna help. **

"He really needs to learn how to flirt," Anderson comments almost snidely, kinda like Mycroft. A couple people, mainly the men hum in agreement, cringing as the screen.

**_(He grins nervously.)_   
SOO LIN: Sometimes you have to look hard at something to see its value.   
_(She puts down the teapot as Andy steels himself to say something. Just as he opens his mouth she lifts up another pot to show him.)_   
SOO LIN: See? This one shines a little brighter.   
_(Andy braces himself.)_   
ANDY: I don't suppose ... um, I mean, I don't suppose that you ... you wanna have a drink? _(He grimaces.)_ Not tea, obviously. Um, in a pub, with me, tonight ... umm.   
_(Soo Lin puts down the pot, not looking at him.)_   
SOO LIN: You wouldn't like me all that much.   
ANDY: Couldn't I maybe decide that for myself?   
_(She hesitates, but then briefly glances towards him.)_   
SOO LIN: I can't. I'm sorry. Please stop asking.   
_(She closes the box.)_**

**A little later, the main entrance doors to the museum are closed for the night and most of the lights are turned off. Down in the basement archive, Soo Lin is in one of the stacks, presumably putting her equipment away. There's a noise nearby.**

**SOO LIN _(calling out)_ : Is that Security?   
_(There's no response, and after an anxious pause she walks out of the stacks and looks around.)_   
SOO LIN: Hello? **

**To her right, a tall and narrow object is covered with a white sheet which billows in a breeze. She nervously walks closer to the object, then hesitantly takes hold of the sheet and pulls it down. Whatever she sees underneath makes her face fill with horror and fear.**

"What do you think she saw?" Molly asked curiously, and everyone, even Mycroft though he was probably just following the crowd, looked over at John.

"Um, a message" John answered once he realised that everyone was looking at him.

**  
SUPERMARKET.  
John Watson is standing at one of two self-service checkouts, scanning items from his basket. A short queue has formed behind him. John scans another item. **

**AUTOMATED VOICE: Unexpected item in bagging area. Please try again.**

**_  
221B BAKER STREET.   
_ ** **In the living room of the flat, Sherlock Holmes is under attack from a heavily robed figure whose face and head are almost completely shrouded in a variety of scarves.**

The room blinks in shock as they watch the fight, even John had no idea what was going on. 

**As the attacker slashes at him with a curved sword, Sherlock backs up carefully and ducks this way and that to avoid the blows. The man backs Sherlock up as far as the sofa and takes another swing at him. Ducking under the sword, Sherlock drops onto the sofa in a sitting position. The attacker lifts his sword above his head with both hands and Sherlock raises a leg, kicking hard at the man's chest and shoving him backwards. As the man stumbles back across the room, Sherlock gets to his feet and takes an all-important moment to straighten his jacket before charging across the room towards the man.**

** _  
SUPERMARKET_   
**

**John holds a lettuce in a plastic bag and moves it slowly across the scanner in an attempt to get it to read the barcode.**

**AUTOMATED VOICE: Item not scanned. Please try again.   
_(John straightens up, staring at the device in exasperation.)_   
JOHN: D'you think you could keep your voice down? **

"It's a machine John, it can't hear you," Lestrade muses, his eyes crinkling in amusement as everyone chuckles slightly. 

**_  
221B BAKER STREET  
_ ** **The attacker has his sword held horizontally in both hands and is pushing Sherlock backwards into the kitchen. With a tight grip on the man's wrists, Sherlock falls back onto the kitchen table and the man follows him down, trying to press the edge of the blade into Sherlock's throat. Grimacing with the effort, Sherlock pushes the man's right wrist upwards to keep the blade from cutting him. The point of the sword begins to dig into the table to Sherlock's right. Sherlock raises his left leg and knees the man in the side several times and, as this begins to weaken the man's grip, Sherlock forces himself upwards again. The sword tip gouges a long slash across the top of the table.**

**_  
SUPERMARKET  
_ **

**John has at last got everything scanned and has inserted his credit or debit card into the chip-and-PIN machine. He types in his PIN and waits.**

**AUTOMATED VOICE: Card not authorised. Please use an alternative method of payment.   
JOHN: Yes, all right! I've got it!   
AUTOMATED VOICE: Card not authorised. Please use an alternative method of payment. **

**The man in the queue behind him has already picked up his own basket in expectation of getting to the scanner soon. John reaches towards his back pocket but apparently realises that he has no other way of paying.**

**JOHN: Got nothing.   
_(He points at the machine.)_   
JOHN: Right, keep it. Keep that.   
_(As the man behind him looks on in surprise, John angrily walks away, abandoning his shopping and quite possibly his card as well.)_**

Almost everyone bursts out laughing, snickering as John sinks into his seat.

**  
221B BAKER STREET  
Sherlock is on his feet again and the fight has moved back into the living room. The attacker takes another swing at Sherlock who ducks underneath the sword and then quickly straightens up, pointing directly over the man's shoulder. **

**SHERLOCK: Look! **

**The man has already half turned in that direction with the swing of his sword and is also perhaps momentary distracted by their reflections in the mirror over the fireplace behind him. Sherlock takes advantage and swings a powerful uppercut to the man's chin, and the man drops unconscious into Sherlock's armchair. Sherlock straightens up and immediately checks his reflection in the mirror, straightening his jacket and cuffs and then dusting himself down. He looks down at the man with disdain, as if indignant that he messed his suit up.**

"Yes because the state of his suit is more important then your life," Lestrade commented dryly and John chuckled slightly. 

"That's Sherlock for you," He mused happily.

**Some time later Sherlock is sitting in his armchair calmly reading a book. There is no sign of the attacker. John walks up the stairs and into the living room, stopping just inside the room and looking around as if he suspects that something has happened in his absence, but he can't tell what.**

**SHERLOCK _(not looking up)_ : You took your time.   
JOHN: Yeah, I didn't get the shopping.   
SHERLOCK _(looking indignantly over the top of his book)_ : What? Why not?   
JOHN _(tetchily)_ : Because I had a row, in the shop, with a chip-and-PIN machine.   
SHERLOCK _(lowering his book a little)_ : You ... you had a row with a machine?   
JOHN: Sort of. It sat there and I shouted abuse. Have you got cash?   
_(Sherlock holds back his amused smile and nods towards the kitchen.)_   
SHERLOCK: Take my card.   
_(John walks towards the kitchen where Sherlock's wallet is lying on the table, but before he gets there he turns back to his flatmate indignantly.)_   
JOHN: You could always go yourself, you know. You've been sitting there all morning. You've not even moved since I left. **

Everyone chuckled slightly, even John at that.

**Sherlock briefly flashes back in his mind to a moment in the fight when he ducked under a swing from the attacker's sword. He tries to look nonchalant as he turns the page of his book while John picks up the wallet from the table and rummages through it for a suitable payment card.**

**JOHN: And what happened about that case you were offered – the Jaria Diamond?   
SHERLOCK: Not interested. **

**Using a piece of paper as a bookmark he shuts the book with a loud snap, and only then realises that the attacker's sword is still lying underneath his chair in plain view. He quickly slams a foot down onto the end and slides his foot and the sword further back to get the weapon out of sight.**

"How did you not notice that?" Anderson asks with amusement as he glances back at John.

"I wasn't exactly watching, I was to pissed off," John grumbled, slightly embrassed.

"Troubling settling in?" Lestrade teases slightly causing John to grumble even more.

**SHERLOCK _(firmly)_ : I sent them a message. **

**_Flashback to his uppercut that ended the fight._ ** **_John has now found a card he can use, but pauses to bend over to look more closely at the new long narrow gouge in the top of the table. He sighs and runs his finger along the cut, rubbing at it in case it's just a mark that can be removed._ **

**JOHN _(in an exasperated whisper)_ : Ugh, Holmes.   
_(Looking across to his flatmate, he tuts pointedly. Sherlock shakes his head innocently. John turns and leaves the room, trotting down the stairs as Sherlock smirks.)  
  
_**

**_ LATER  
_ ** **John staggers up the stairs carrying several bags of shopping.**

**JOHN _(sarcastically)_ : Don't worry about me. I can manage. **

**Sherlock, who is now sitting at the dining table with his hands folded in front of his mouth as he looks at a laptop screen, barely glances across to John, who sighs heavily as he carries the bags into the kitchen and dumps them onto the table. Sherlock is engrossed in reading an e-mail from someone called Sebastian Wilkes.**

"Who's Sebastian Wilkes?" Donovan asks, disgust in her voice. 

"An old aquantince," John replied, anger dusting his voice.

"So he's a freak," Donovan muttered in disgust. John opened his mouth, before shaking his head it wasn't worth it.

**The full e-mail isn't shown but what text can be seen reveals that Sherlock and Sebastian haven't seen each other for a long time. Sebastian has heard that Sherlock is now a consultant – or a consulting detective – and tells him that "There's been an 'incident' at the bank" which he hopes that Sherlock may be able to sort out. He asks him to drop by and says that he'll be relying on Sherlock's discretion. John turns around from the kitchen table and frowns when he realises which piece of equipment Sherlock is looking at.**

**JOHN: Is that my computer?   
SHERLOCK _(starting to type)_ : Of course.   
JOHN: What?!   
SHERLOCK: Mine was in the bedroom. **

"Did anyone else notice the fact that Sherlock didn't say his bedroom, but the bedroom?" Anderson comments causing John to blush slightly. 

"Anything you want us to tell us?" Lestrade teases causes him to blush even more.

**JOHN: What, and you couldn't be bothered to get up?   
_(Sherlock doesn't reply.)_   
JOHN _(indignantly)_ : It's password protected!   
SHERLOCK _(still typing)_ : In a manner of speaking. Took me less than a minute to guess yours. _(He glances up at John.)_ Not exactly Fort Knox.   
JOHN _(annoyed)_ : Right, thank you. **

**He walks over and slams the lid down. Sherlock pulls his fingers out of the way just in time. John takes the laptop across the room and puts it down on the floor beside his armchair as he sits down. Sherlock clasps his hands in the prayer position in front of his mouth as he props his elbows on the table and looks thoughtful. John picks up a small pile of letters from the table beside his chair and frowns.**

**JOHN: Oh.   
_(He flicks through the letters, at least one of which appears to be a red bill which needs urgent paying. He shakes his head in resignation.)_   
JOHN: Need to get a job.   
SHERLOCK: Oh, dull. **

"Doesn't Sherlock just say that about everything?" Donovan hissed in annoyed tone, though her curiousty did leech through just a bit.

"Pretty much," John replies, trying to be even a little bit civil.

**_(He seems to be lost in thought. John puts the letters back onto the table and looks across at his friend for a moment, but then glances at the bills again and awkwardly sits forward.)_   
JOHN: Listen, um ... if you'd be able to lend me some ...   
_(He stops when he realises that Sherlock appears to be a world of his own.)_   
JOHN: Sherlock, are you listening?   
SHERLOCK _(without looking round)_ : I need to go to the bank. **

**He gets up and heads towards the stairs, taking his coat from the hook on the door as he goes. John frowns, then jumps up and hurries to join him.  
  
**

**_TOWER 42, OLD BROAD STREET.   
_ ** **Sherlock leads John through revolving glass doors which lead into Shad Sanderson Bank. John stares at the impressive foyer as he follows his friend.**

**JOHN: Yes, when you said we were going to the bank ... **

**He gets onto an escalator behind Sherlock while the detective observes everything around him, especially the security systems which have to have cards swiped across electronic readers in order to open glass barrier gates. The boys reach the top of the escalator and Sherlock walks over to the reception desk and addresses one of the receptionists.**

"When he's looking around like that, he kinda looks like he's gonna rob the place," Molly joked slightly but it just caused the room to get even more tense as they all subconcsiouly remembered the last days of Sherlock.

**SHERLOCK: Sherlock Holmes.   
  
A little later the boys have been shown into Sebastian Wilkes' office and now he walks in and grins at Sherlock. **

**SEBASTIAN: Sherlock Holmes.   
SHERLOCK: Sebastian.   
_(They shake hands, Sebastian clasping Sherlock's hand in both of his own.)_   
SEBASTIAN: Howdy, buddy. How long's it been? Eight years since I last clapped eyes on you?   
_(Sherlock looks back at him with only marginally disguised dislike. Sebastian turns to look at John.)_   
SHERLOCK: This is my _friend_ , John Watson.   
SEBASTIAN _(latching on to the emphasised word)_ : Friend?   
JOHN: Colleague.   
SEBASTIAN: Right.   
_(They shake hands, Sebastian looking at John curiously.)_   
SEBASTIAN: Right. **

**He throws a brief look at Sherlock as if saying, 'Didn't think you had a friend!' Grinning unpleasantly, **

Mrs Hudson, John and Molly all glare at Sebastian along with Lestrade and even Anderson. While Donovan smirked.

**He momentarily scratches his neck and Sherlock's gaze falls on his wristwatch. Sebastian turns away, John pursing his lips as if he has taken an instant dislike to the man; either that or he's regretting correcting Sherlock.**

**SEBASTIAN: Well, grab a pew. D'you need anything? Coffee, water?   
_(Sherlock shakes his head.)_   
JOHN: No.   
SEBASTIAN: No? _(To his secretary)_ We're all sorted here, thanks.   
_(As the secretary leaves the room, Sebastian sits down at his desk and the other two sit side by side opposite him.)_   
SHERLOCK: So, you're doing well. You've been abroad a lot.   
SEBASTIAN: Well, some.   
SHERLOCK: Flying all the way round the world twice in a month?   
_(John frowns in confusion but Sebastian just laughs and points at Sherlock.)_   
SEBASTIAN: Right. You're doing that thing.   
_(He looks at John.)_   
SEBASTIAN: We were at uni together. This guy here had a trick he used to do.   
SHERLOCK _(quietly)_ : It's not a trick.   
SEBASTIAN _(to John)_ : He could look at you and tell you your whole life story.   
JOHN: Yes, I've seen him do it.   
SEBASTIAN: Put the wind up everybody. We hated him.   
_(Sherlock turns his head away and looks down, his face momentarily filling with pain.)_ **

"Poor Sherlock," Mrs Hudson murmed sadly at the look of utter pain on his face.

**SEBASTIAN: You'd come down to breakfast in the Formal Hall and this freak would know you'd been shagging the previous night.   
SHERLOCK _(quietly)_ : I simply observed.   
SEBASTIAN: Go on, enlighten me. Two trips a month, flying all the way around the world – you're quite right. How could you tell?   
_(Sherlock opens his mouth but Sebastian continues speaking.)_   
SEBASTIAN _(smugly)_ : You're gonna tell me there was, um, a stain on my tie from some special kind of ketchup you can only buy in Manhattan.   
_(John smiles.)_   
SHERLOCK: No, I ...   
SEBASTIAN _(talking over him)_ : Maybe it was the mud on my shoes!   
_(Sherlock simply looks back at him for a moment before speaking.)_   
SHERLOCK: I was just chatting with your secretary outside. _She_ told me. **

"Well, that's... disappointing," Anderson comments.

"His lying," Mycroft tuttered half in shock.

"He was just trying to annoy him," John replies, a soft smile on his lips.

**John frowns round at him, confused by such an 'ordinary' explanation. Sebastian laughs humorlessly and Sherlock smiles back at him with an equal lack of humour. Sebastian claps his hands together, then becomes more serious.**

**SEBASTIAN: I'm glad you could make it over. We've had a break-in.   
_(He leads them across the trading floor towards another door.)_   
SEBASTIAN: Sir William's office – the bank's former Chairman. The room's been left here like a sort of memorial. Someone broke in late last night.   
JOHN: What did they steal?   
SEBASTIAN: Nothing. Just left a little message. **

"Why would you waste the effort to break into a high security bank just to send a message?" Lestrade asks, mostly in annoyance.

"You'll see," John muttered not wanting to keep having to explain everything. 

**He holds his security card against the reader by the door to unlock it. Inside, hanging on the plain white wall behind the large desk is a framed painted portrait of a man in a suit – presumably the late Sir William Shad himself. On the wall to the left of the portrait someone has sprayed what looks like a graffiti 'tag' in yellow paint. The tag looks vaguely like a number 8 but with the top of the number left open, and above it is an almost horizontal straight line. Across the eyes of the portrait itself, another almost horizontal straight line has been sprayed. Perhaps because of the texture of the paper or perhaps because the 'artist' oversprayed the line, the yellow paint has run trails down the painting. Sebastian leads the way towards the desk and then steps aside to allow Sherlock a clear view of the wall. John moves to stand on the other side of Sebastian, who looks at Sherlock expectantly while the detective stares in fixed concentration at the graffiti.**

**_(Later they're back in Sebastian's office and he is showing the boys the security footage of the office from the previous night.)_   
SEBASTIAN: Sixty seconds apart. **

**He flicks back and forth between the still photograph taken at 23:34:01 which shows the paint on the wall and on the portrait, and a minute earlier – 23:33:01 – when the wall and portrait were still clean.**

SEBASTIAN: **So, someone came up here in the middle of the night, splashed paint around, then left within a minute.**  
SHERLOCK: **How many ways into that office?**  
SEBASTIAN: **Well, that's where this gets really interesting.**  
  
"Why is it jumping around so much? Why not just explain everything all at once?" Molly asks, slight annoyance in her voice. 

"Dramatic?"

"Suspensful?"

"Easier and less boring?"

**Back in the reception area, Sebastian shows them a screen on a computer which has a layout of the trading floor and its surrounding offices. Each indicated door has a light against it showing its security status.**

**SEBASTIAN: Every door that opens in this bank, it gets logged right here. Every walk-in cupboard, every toilet.   
SHERLOCK: That door didn't open last night.   
SEBASTIAN: There's a hole in our security. Find it and we'll pay you – five figures.   
_(He reaches into the breast pocket of his jacket and takes out a cheque.)_   
SEBASTIAN: This is an advance. Tell me how he got in, there's a bigger one on its way.   
SHERLOCK: I don't _need_ an incentive, Sebastian. **

"Sherlock never needs any incentive," Molly points out a small on her face as she watches the screen.

"As long he's interested," John added in amusement.

**_(He walks away. John watches him go, then turns to Sebastian.)_   
JOHN: He's, uh, he's kidding you, obviously.   
_(He holds out his hand.)_   
JOHN: Sh-shall I look after that for him?   
_(Sebastian hands him the cheque.)_   
JOHN: Thanks.   
_(He looks at the figure on the cheque and shakes his head in disbelief that this is only the advance.)_**

Everyone chuckles at John who sheepishly blushes.

**Sherlock has returned to Sir William's office and is taking photographs on his mobile phone of the graffiti. Once he has taken several pictures he turns around, the symbols still floating in front of his mind's eye. He looks to his right where the floor-to-ceiling windows show an impressive view of the nearby Swiss Re Tower, better known as 'The Gherkin.' Frowning and looking away in thought for a moment, he then walks over to the windows and pulls up the blinds which are covering what is revealed to be a door onto a small balcony. Opening the door he goes out onto the balcony and looks at the spectacular view over London before looking down at the very long drop to the ground hundreds of feet below.**

Everyone, espically John flinched at the sight of Sherlock standing on a ledge. 

**Sherlock looks along the balcony and bites his lip thoughtfully before heading back inside.**

**Shortly afterwards, Sherlock is dancing. On the trading floor he has ducked down behind a desk and now rises slowly upright, staring in concentration at the glass doorway to Sir William's office. He then ducks sideways and hurries across the floor, to the bemusement of a Random Extra and other traders. Sherlock continues to scamper around the floor, frequently scurrying sideways and ducking down behind desks before popping up again and peering at the doorway.**

"What's he doing?" Anderson asks, leaning forward curiously. No one answers him, mostly because no one knew not even John or Mycroft. Or Mycroft could be just choosing to stay quiet, you never know with him.

**He dances across the floor again and twirls around a column before backing towards an office on the other side of the floor. Stopping in that doorway, he wiggles about, his eyes still fixed on Sir William's office, then turns and goes into the office and heads to the other side of the desk. Standing directly behind the chair of whoever works in that room, he sees that he has a clear view of the top of the painting and the new yellow slash across the portrait's eyes. He dances sideways across the room before coming back to his previous position, confirming that this is the only place on the trading floor from where the damaged portrait can be seen. Looking around the room for some identification, he eventually goes to the door where two signs are attached to the outside, one showing that this is the office of the Hong Kong Desk Head, and the sign above it giving the name of that person – Edward Van Coon. He slides the top sign out of its holder and heads off.**

Mycroft hums in amusement as he watches his little brother. 

"I still don't get it," Anderson whined slightly. Mycroft groans softly. 

"Whoever sent that message wanted someone to see it, my brother was trying to figure out who it was for," Mycroft snapped back, really starting to get annoyed at these people.

**Not long afterwards, Sherlock is leading John back towards the escalators.**

**JOHN: Two trips around the world this month. You didn't ask his secretary; you said that just to irritate him.   
_(Sherlock smiles but doesn't respond.)_   
JOHN: How _did_ you know?   
SHERLOCK: Did you see his watch?   
_(Brief flashback to Sherlock looking at Sebastian's wrist while he scratched his neck.)_   
JOHN: His watch?   
SHERLOCK: The time was right but the date was wrong. Said two days ago. Crossed the dateline twice but he didn't alter it.   
JOHN: Within a month? How'd you get that part?   
SHERLOCK: New Breitling.   
_(Flashback close-up on the watch showing its brand name: Breitling Chronometre Crosswind.)_   
SHERLOCK: Only came out this February. **

"Oh so that's how he figured it out," Lestrade muses thoughtfully. 

**JOHN: Okay. So d'you think we should sniff around here for a bit longer?   
SHERLOCK: Got everything I need to know already, thanks.   
JOHN: Hmm?   
SHERLOCK: That graffiti was a message for someone at the bank working on the trading floors. We find the intended recipient and ...   
_(He deliberately trails off, allowing John to finish the sentence.)_   
JOHN: ... they'll lead us to the person who sent it.   
SHERLOCK: Obvious.   
JOHN: Well, there's three hundred people up there. Who was it meant for?   
SHERLOCK: Pillars.   
JOHN: What?   
SHERLOCK: Pillars and the screens. Very few places you can see that graffiti from. That narrows the field considerably. And of course the message was left at eleven thirty-four last night. That tells us a lot.   
JOHN: Does it?   
_(Sherlock continues talking as he and John go through the revolving doors and out onto the street.)_   
SHERLOCK: Traders come to work at all hours. Some trade with Hong Kong in the middle of the night. That message was intended for someone who came in at midnight.   
_(He holds up the name card to show John.)_   
SHERLOCK: Not many Van Coons in the phonebook.   
_(He spots what he immediately needs and calls out loudly.)_   
SHERLOCK: Taxi!   
  
After a taxi ride, they are outside a block of flats and Sherlock presses the door buzzer marked 'Van Coon'. Releasing it, he looks into the security camera above the buzzers, waits a couple of seconds, then presses the buzzer again. There's no response.**

**JOHN: So what do we do now? Sit here and wait for him to come back? **

**Sherlock has looked at the number of buzzers on the wall and steps back to look up the front of the building, presumably calculating the layout of the flats inside. He comes back to the wall and looks at John triumphantly.**

**SHERLOCK: Just moved in.   
JOHN: What?   
SHERLOCK: The floor above. New label.   
_(He points to another buzzer which has a handwritten label saying, 'Wintle'.)_   
JOHN: Could have just replaced it.   
_(Sherlock presses that buzzer, then looks at John again.)_   
SHERLOCK: No-one ever does that.   
_(A woman's voice comes over the intercom.)_   
MS WINTLE: Hello?   
_(Sherlock turns to the camera and smiles, putting on a 'I'm just a normal harmless human being' voice.)_ **

"He actually sounds like a normal human," Donovan's voice is filled with shock as she speaks. Her words cause John's fingers to curl into a fist and it took everything to not punch her.

**SHERLOCK: Hi! Um, I live in the flat just below you. I-I don't think we've met.   
_(He grins prettily into the camera.)_   
MS WINTLE _(over intercom)_ : No, well, uh, I've just moved in.   
_(Sherlock turns to throw a brief 'told you so' glance at John, then turns back to the camera.)_   
SHERLOCK: Actually, I've just locked my keys in my flat.   
_(He grimaces and bites his lip plaintively.)_   
MS WINTLE: D'you want me to buzz you in?   
SHERLOCK: Yeah. And can I use your balcony?   
MS WINTLE: What?   
  
Not long afterwards, Sherlock has flirted his way into the lucky Ms Wintle's flat and is standing on her balcony. ** **He looks over the side to the ground several floors below. Luckily for him, he is on the top floor where the flats have balconies which only run halfway across the front of the flat, whereas the floor below has full-width balconies. He climbs over the side of Ms Wintle's balcony and drops down onto the one outside Van Coon's flat.**

Once again everyone flinches at the sight of Sherlock up high, even Donovan, though her's was more mental and very very deep down. It espically didn't help when Sherlock had climbed over the ledge, the only piece of comfort they had was that Sherlock wouldn't die, yet. 

**Taking another look over the edge, he turns and reaches for the handle of the door and finds that it is unlocked, which is a jolly good thing or he'd still be sitting there now waiting for Lestrade to turn up with many many colleagues who would want to take photographs of him stranded out there. He goes inside and walks across the very elegantly decorated living room. This is clearly the apartment of a wealthy person, with white leather furniture, shiny black tables and minimal clutter. He looks at everything as he goes through the room, and glances at a pile of books on a table. He walks through the kitchen, looking at the work surface before opening the fridge to reveal that it's full of nothing other than bottles of champagne. The front door to the flat buzzes.**

**JOHN _(from the other side of the door)_ : Sherlock.   
_(Sherlock moves into the hall.)_   
JOHN _(from outside)_ : Sherlock, are you okay? **

**Sherlock opens the door to the small bathroom and glances inside at the few items on the shelf opposite. He shuts the door and walks to a larger door which is closed. He tries it and finds that it's locked.**

**JOHN _(from outside)_ : Yeah, any time you feel like letting me in. **

**Sherlock turns side-on and shoulder-charges the door and it bursts open. He walks inside and finds a man in a suit and overcoat lying on his back on the bed, dead. There is a pistol on the floor, and the man has a small bullet hole in his right temple.**

"Oh god," Molly whispers horrifed, or at least sad like the nice person she is. 

**Later, the police have been called and a photographer is taking pictures of Van Coon's body lying on the bed. A forensics officer is dusting for fingerprints on the nearby mirror, and distant voices suggest that other forensics officers are elsewhere in the flat. Sherlock has taken off his coat and is in the bedroom putting on a pair of latex gloves. John stands beside him.**

**JOHN: D'you think he'd lost a _lot_ of money? I mean, suicide is pretty common among City boys.   
SHERLOCK: We don't know that it _was_ suicide.   
JOHN: Come on. The door was locked from the inside; you had to climb down the balcony.   
_(Sherlock has squatted down by a suitcase on the floor near the bed and has opened the lid and is looking at the contents.)_   
SHERLOCK: Been away three days, judging by the laundry.   
_(He sees that there's a deep indentation in the clothing inside the case, then straightens up and looks at John.)_   
SHERLOCK: Look at the case. There was something tightly packed inside it. **

Lestrade frowns before turning to John, "The thing that was missing, was it by any chance a vase?"

"How did you know?" John's eyesbrows furrowed as he stared at Lestrade. 

"We got notified to keep an eye out for it, just in case?"

**JOHN: Thanks – I'll take your word for it.   
SHERLOCK: Problem?   
JOHN: Yeah, I'm not desperate to root around some bloke's dirty underwear.   
SHERLOCK _(walking to the foot of the bed)_ : Those symbols at the bank – the graffiti. Why were they put there? **

"Has anyone else noticed that Sherlock seems to be grooming John?" Anderson asks turning around to face everyone. "I mean he keeps stopping before saying something important, letting you finish even if he knows you probably wont have it, he wouldn't do that with anyone else," Eveyrone frowns at Anderson's words, pondering slightly before they all turn back to face the screen, some like John still pondering the words.

**JOHN: What, some sort of code?   
SHERLOCK: Obviously.   
_(Having looked closely at Van Coon's legs – or possibly his shoes – he moves up and carefully opens the man's jacket to look at his inside pockets.)_   
SHERLOCK: Why were they painted? If you want to communicate, why not use e-mail?   
JOHN: Well, maybe he wasn't answering.   
SHERLOCK: Oh good. You follow.   
JOHN: No.   
_(Sherlock throws him a look before moving on to examine Van Coon's hands.)_   
SHERLOCK: What kind of a message would everyone try to avoid?   
_(John frowns in confusion.)_   
SHERLOCK: What about this morning – those letters you were looking at?   
JOHN: Bills.   
_(Sherlock gently prises open Van Coon's mouth and pulls out a small black origami flower from inside. Air hisses out from the dead man's lungs.)_   
SHERLOCK: Yes. He was being threatened.   
MAN's VOICE _(outside the bedroom)_ : Bag this up, will you ...   
JOHN _(looking closely at the paper flower as Sherlock lifts an evidence bag to put the flower into it)_ : Not by the gas board.   
MAN's VOICE: ... and see if you can get prints off this glass.   
**

**_(The man – a plain clothed police officer who looks so young – walks into the bedroom. Sherlock turns and walks towards him.)_   
**

**SHERLOCK: Ah, Sergeant. We haven't met.   
** **_(He offers his hand to shake. The young man puts his hands on his hips.)  
_ ** **MAN: Yeah, I know who you are; and I'd prefer it if you didn't tamper with any of the evidence.   
**

Everyone but Donovan, Mycroft and John frown at the man, Donovan because she had a smirk glad that someone was listening to her warning, Mycroft cause he's like a robot and John who chuckled slightly, remembering him. Everyone else's glares turned confused as they heard John's light chuckle.

**_(Lowering his hand, Sherlock gives the evidence bag to the officer and turns his best stroppy look on him.)  
_ **

**SHERLOCK: I've phoned Lestrade. Is he on his way?   
** **MAN: He's busy. _I'm_ in charge. And it's not Sergeant; it's Detective Inspector. Dimmock. **

**Sherlock looks at him in surprise, then turns and shares his surprised look with John. Dimmock walks out of the room. The boys follow him into the living room where he hands the bag to one of the forensics team.**

**DIMMOCK: We're obviously looking at a suicide.   
JOHN: That does seem the only explanation of all the facts.   
_(Sherlock takes off the latex gloves and turns back to him.)_   
SHERLOCK: Wrong. It's one _possible_ explanation of _some_ of the facts.   
_(He turns to Dimmock.)_   
SHERLOCK: You've got a solution that you like, but you're choosing to ignore anything you see that doesn't comply with it.   
DIMMOCK: Like?   
SHERLOCK: The wound was on the _right_ side of his head.   
DIMMOCK: And?   
SHERLOCK: Van Coon was left-handed.   
_(He goes into an elaborate mime as he demonstrates his point, pretending to try and point a gun to his right temple with his left hand.)_ **

Everyone chuckles as this, and Dimmock's annoyed expression. 

**SHERLOCK: Requires quite a bit of contortion.   
DIMMOCK: Left-handed?   
SHERLOCK _(sarcastically)_ : Oh, I'm amazed you didn't notice. All you have to do is look around this flat.   
_(He points to the table beside the sofa.)_   
SHERLOCK: Coffee table on the left-hand side; coffee mug handle pointing to the left. Power sockets: habitually used the ones on the left ...   
_(Close-up of a double socket on the wall with a plug in the left-hand socket.)_   
SHERLOCK: Pen and paper on the left-hand side of the phone because he picked it up with his right and took down messages with his left. D'you want me to go on?   
JOHN _(tiredly)_ : No, I think you've covered it.   
SHERLOCK: Oh, I might as well; I'm almost at the bottom of the list.   
_(John nods as if to say, 'Yeah, I thought you might.')_   
SHERLOCK _(pointing towards the kitchen)_ : There's a knife on the breadboard with butter on the right side of the blade because he used it with his left. **

"How did he notice any of that? He only brefly looked around the important?" Anderson's voice was filled with masked wonder, no one answers him as the answer itself was pretty obvious. Cause 1 it's Sherlock, and 2 unlike the rest of us he observes. Though John did end up explaing that to him.

**_(He turns to Dimmock with an impatient look on his face.)_   
SHERLOCK: It's highly unlikely that a left-handed man would shoot himself in the _right_ side of his head. **

"Aren't you left handed?" Lestrade asks curiously.

"But you shot with your right,"

**SHERLOCK: Conclusion: someone broke in here and murdered him. _Only_ explanation of _all_ the facts.   
DIMMOCK: But the gun: why ...   
SHERLOCK _(interrupting)_ : He was _waiting_ for the killer. He'd been threatened.   
_(He walks away and starts to put on his scarf, coat and gloves.)_   
DIMMOCK: What?   
JOHN: Today at the bank. Sort of a warning.   
SHERLOCK: He fired a shot when his attacker came in.   
DIMMOCK: And the bullet?   
SHERLOCK: Went through the open window.   
DIMMOCK: Oh, come on! What are the chances of _that_?!   
SHERLOCK: Wait until you get the ballistics report. The bullet in his brain wasn't fired from his gun. I guarantee it.   
DIMMOCK: But if his door was locked from the inside, how did the killer get in?   
SHERLOCK _(condescendingly, as he dramatically slams his hand into his glove)_ : Good! You're finally asking the right questions. **

"So dramatic," Molly whispers in amusment causing everyone who heard her to chuckle.

**_(He turns and flounces out. John looks round at Dimmock and then points apologetically towards the departing drama queen before following him.)  
  
_ **

**_ RESTAURANT.   
_ **

**Sebastian is having lunch with some clients or work colleagues.**

**SEBASTIAN _(laughing)_ : ... and he's left trying to sort of cut his hair with a fork, which of course can never be done!   
_(Sherlock and John walk over to the table.)_   
SHERLOCK: It was a threat. That's what the graffiti meant.   
SEBASTIAN: I'm kind of in a meeting. Can you make an appointment with my secretary?   
SHERLOCK: I don't think this can wait. Sorry, Sebastian. One of your traders – someone who worked in your office – was killed.   
SEBASTIAN: What?   
JOHN: Van Coon. The police are at his flat.   
SEBASTIAN _(shocked)_ : Killed?   
SHERLOCK _(sarcastically)_ : Sorry to interfere with everyone's digestion. Still wanna make an appointment? Would, maybe, nine o'clock at Scotland Yard suit?   
_(Sebastian puts down his glass of water and nervously runs his finger inside his shirt collar.)_**

**Shortly afterwards, Sebastian and the boys have relocated to the toilets in the restaurant. Sebastian is washing his hands.**

**SEBASTIAN: Harrow; Oxford. Very bright guy. Worked in Asia for a while, so ...   
JOHN: ... you gave him the Hong Kong accounts.**

"Awww so you guys are finishing each other's questions," Mrs Hudson teases. John groans slightly as everyone chuckes. 

**SEBASTIAN _(drying his hands on a towel)_ : Lost five mill in a single morning; made it all back a week later. Nerves of steel, Eddie had.   
JOHN: Who'd wanna kill him?   
SEBASTIAN: We all make enemies.   
JOHN: You don't all end up with a bullet through your temple.   
_(Sebastian's phone beeps a text alert.)_   
SEBASTIAN: Not usually. 'Scuse me.   
_(He gets out his phone and looks at the message.)_   
SEBASTIAN: It's my Chairman. The police have been on to him. Apparently they're telling him it was a suicide.   
SHERLOCK: Well, they've got it wrong, Sebastian. He was murdered.   
SEBASTIAN: Well, I'm afraid they don't see it like that.   
SHERLOCK _(sternly)_ : Seb.   
SEBASTIAN: ... and neither does my boss. I hired you to do a job. Don't get side-tracked.   
_(He walks away. John waits until he has left the room, then turns to Sherlock.)_   
JOHN: I thought bankers were all supposed to be heartless bastards(!) **

Anderson frowns in confusion but doesn't bother asking, knowing they'll probably just laugh at him.  
  


**_EARL'S COURT. NIGHT TIME.   
_ ** **An overweight bald man in his early forties is running frantically down the street, a hard backed book clasped in one hand. He looks repeatedly behind him as he runs. Reaching his front door, he whimpers as he fumbles with his door keys and finally gets the door open. Running upstairs, he unlocks the door to his flat and hurries inside, slamming the door and pushing a bolt across. He scurries up the flight of stairs leading to the main flat, throwing his book onto a pile of other books strewn all the way up the stairs, and runs into his living room. He stops in the middle of the room and then turns around, his face covered with sweat and his face full of terror at the sight which greets him.  
  
**

**NATIONAL ANTIQUITIES MUSEUM.   
The museum's Director walks across to Andy, who is sitting at a table cleaning an ancient pot.   
DIRECTOR: I need you to get over to Crispians.   
_(She shows him a catalogue.)_   
DIRECTOR: Two Ming vases up for auction – Chenghua. Will you appraise them? **

"Hey, those were the vases I was talking about," Lestrade announces.

"What happened to the second one?" Molly asks curiously. 

"There was a second smuggler," John cut in before Lestrade could answer. 

**ANDY: Er, er, Soo Lin should go. She's the expert.   
DIRECTOR: Soo Lin has resigned her job. I need _you.  
(She walks away. Andy turns and looks sadly at Soo Lin's table behind him.)_**

**_LATER_  
He is standing outside the front door to Soo Lin's flat. Her doorbell has a handwritten name tag above it, showing her name – Soo Lin Yao – with a flower drawn in place of the dot over the 'i' and a couple of other flowers in the right hand corners. Andy presses the doorbell, then steps back and looks up to the first floor windows of the flat which is above a shop called The Lucky Cat. The shop and flat are clearly located in London's Chinatown. When nobody answers his ring, he rummages in his pockets, takes out an envelope and pen and scribbles a note on the envelope before bending down to the letterbox and pushing it through. He walks away.**

**_IN A DOCTOR'S SURGERY_  
Doctor Sarah Sawyer is reading John's printed Curriculum Vitae. She looks up at John sitting opposite her. **

"What are you doing?" Donovan asks, curosity getting the better of her. 

"Watch and you'll find out," John snapped back, to annoyed at her to even try and be civil anymore.

**SARAH: Just locum work.   
JOHN: No, that's fine.   
SARAH: You're, um ... well, you're a bit over-qualified.   
JOHN _(smiling)_ : Er, I could always do with the money.   
SARAH: Well, we've got two away on holiday this week, and one's just left to have a baby. Might be a bit mundane for you.   
JOHN: Er, no; mundane is good sometimes. Mundane works.   
SARAH _(softly)_ : It says here you were a soldier.   
JOHN: And a doctor.   
_(He smiles at her again. Sarah looks down. She clearly fancies him)_   
SARAH: Anything else you can do?   
JOHN: I learned the clarinet at school.   
SARAH: Oh! _(She laughs.)_ Well, I look forward to it!   
_(John laughs. She smiles flirtatiously at him)_**

**_ 221B.    
_ **

**Sherlock has printed out the photographs of the graffiti near and across Sir William's portrait and has stuck them around the mirror above the fireplace. He is sitting on one of the dining chairs with his back to the dining table. He has his fingers steepled under his chin and is staring at the photos while various symbols in different languages flash in front of his mind's eye. John walks in from the landing and drops his jacket onto his armchair.**

**SHERLOCK _(without looking round)_ : I said, "Could you pass me a pen?"   
_(John looks around the living room as if expecting that Sherlock is talking to someone else.)_   
JOHN: What? When?   
SHERLOCK: 'Bout an hour ago.   
_(John sighs.)_   
JOHN: Didn't notice I'd gone out, then. **

"Does he do that often?" Anderson asks.

"Yep, almost all the time,"

**He picks up a pen from the table beside his chair and, without even looking at Sherlock, tosses the pen in his direction. Sherlock lifts his left hand and catches it without looking away from the photographs on the wall. John walks over to the mirror to look more closely at the photos**

**JOHN: Yeah, I went to see about a job at that surgery.   
SHERLOCK: How was it?   
JOHN _(absently)_ : It's great. She's great.   
SHERLOCK: Who?   
JOHN _(looking round to him)_ : The job.   
SHERLOCK: "She"?   
JOHN: ... It.   
_(Sherlock looks at him suspiciously for a moment, then jerks his head to his right.)_ **

"Could it be? Could the great Sherlock Holmes be jealous?" Molly teases lightly, pushing away the sadness that her crush would probably never like her back, though she had accpected that fact a long time ago. 

"Your insane," 

**SHERLOCK: Here, have a look.   
JOHN: Hmm? **

**He walks over to the table and looks at the web page on the open computer. The lead article on the 'Online News' page is headlined, "Ghostly killer leaves a mystery for police." Next to it is a photograph of the bald man, and the article reads: An intruder who can walk through walls murdered a man in his London apartment last night. Brian Lukis, 41, a freelance journalist from Earl's Court was found shot in his fourth floor flat but all his doors and windows were locked and there were no apparent signs of a break in. A police spokesman said they are still uncertain how the assailant broke in...**

**JOHN: The 'intruder who can walk through walls.'   
SHERLOCK: Happened last night. Journalist shot dead in his flat; doors locked, windows bolted from the inside – exactly the same as Van Coon.   
JOHN _(straightening up and looking at his flatmate)_ : God. You think ...   
SHERLOCK: He's killed another one. **

"Dunt, dunt DUNT!!!!"


	8. The Blind Baker (01x02 part 2/4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

**NEW SCOTLAND YARD.  
Inspector Dimmock sits at his desk and folds his arms in ** **exasperation as Sherlock stands at the other side of the desk and types onto a laptop.**

"Why didn't you just go straight to the crime scene?" Molly asks curiously. 

"Yeah, don't you just go straight to the crime scene, or where ever you need to go?" Donovan added with a sneer, glaring slightly.

"Sherlock doesn't actually break the law, he just walks a fine line between it," John points out, a bit to sharp.

**SHERLOCK: Brian Lukis, freelance journalist. Murdered in his flat ...   
_(He turns the laptop around to show Dimmock the web page which John was looking at earlier.)_   
SHERLOCK: ... doors locked from the inside.   
JOHN: You've gotta admit, it's similar.   
_(Dimmock scowls at the computer.)_   
JOHN: Both men killed by someone who can ... _(he hesitates momentarily as if unable to believe what he's about to say, but perseveres onwards)_ ... walk through solid walls.   
SHERLOCK: Inspector, do you seriously believe that Eddie Van Coon was just another City suicide?   
_(Dimmock squirms, not meeting his eyes. Sherlock looks up, exasperated, and sighs pointedly.)_   
SHERLOCK: You _have_ seen the ballistics report, I suppose?   
DIMMOCK _(nodding)_ : Mmm.   
SHERLOCK: And the shot that killed him: was it fired from his own gun?   
DIMMOCK _(reluctantly)_ : No.   
SHERLOCK: No. So this investigation might move a bit quicker if you were to take my word as gospel.   
_(Dimmock looks back at him silently. Sherlock leans forward over the desk and speaks quietly but intensely into his face.)_   
SHERLOCK: I've just handed you a murder enquiry. _(Louder, nodding towards the picture of Lukis on the computer)_ Five minutes in his flat. **

"How does he always get what he wants?" Anderson asks curiously, no spite laced his words, just harmless curiousty.

"He's good at what he does," John replied causing Lestrade to hum in agreement.

**  
LUKIS' FLAT.   
Sherlock ducks under the police tape at the bottom of the stairs inside the door of the flat. He goes upstairs, followed by Dimmock and John. Looking around at everything as he goes, he walks into the living room. There's an open empty suitcase on the floor. Nearby on the carpet is a black origami flower, similar to the one that Sherlock pulled from Van Coon's mouth. There are books everywhere on the desk and on bookshelves and scattered about on the floor. Several open newspapers are also lying on the floor. He walks over to the kitchen area and looks through the window at the nearby rooftops of lower buildings. Pushing back the net curtain for a better look, he smirks. **

**SHERLOCK: Four floors up. _That's_ why they think they're safe. Put a chain across the door and bolt it shut; think they're impregnable. **

"That's probably because they normally are," Anderson pointed out, Mycroft tuttered shaking his head slightly but not actually speaking.

**_(He walks into the middle of the room again.)_   
SHERLOCK: They don't reckon for one second that there's another way in.   
_(He turns back towards the stairs and sees a skylight above the landing.)_   
DIMMOCK: I don't understand.   
SHERLOCK _(going out onto the landing)_ : You're dealing with a killer who can climb.   
_(He hops up on something – maybe a step stool or a box – to get closer to the skylight which is high up on the angled roof.)_   
DIMMOCK: What are you doing?   
SHERLOCK: He clings to the walls like an insect.   
_(He unhooks the latch and pushes the window upwards.)_   
SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : That's how he got in.   
DIMMOCK: What?!   
SHERLOCK: Climbed up the side of the walls, ran along the roof, dropped in through this skylight.   
DIMMOCK: You're not serious! Like Spiderman?(!)   
SHERLOCK: He scaled six floors of a Docklands apartment building, jumped the balcony to kill Van Coon.   
DIMMOCK _(laughing in disbelief)_ : Oh, ho-hold on!   
SHERLOCK: And of course that's how he got into the bank. He ran along the window ledge and onto the terrace. **

"Why doesn't Dimmock believe him?" Molly asks, her faith in Sherlock neither wavering.

"He's talking about people climbing walls," Donovan snapped back. 

"It does sound insane," Lestrade added more softly, Molly hummed deciding to stay quiet instead of asking the questions on the tip of her tounge.

**_(He steps down onto the landing and looks around again.)_   
SHERLOCK: We have to find out what connects these two men. **

**His eyes fall on the pile of books scattered up the side of the staircase. Jumping down a few stairs he picks up one particular book which has fallen open at its front page which shows that it has been borrowed from West Kensington Library. Slamming the book shut, he takes it with him as he heads off down the stairs.  
**

**After a taxi journey, Sherlock and John are once again on an escalator, this time inside West Kensington Library. Sherlock finds his way to the aisle where Lukis' book came from.**

**SHERLOCK: Date stamped on the book is the same day that he died. **

**Checking the reference number stuck to the bottom of the book's spine, he goes to the correct place along the shelves and starts pulling out books and examining them. John, probably just for something to do, pulls out some books on a nearby shelf on the other side of the aisle and immediately gets lucky.**

**JOHN: Sherlock. **

"How much luck do you have?" Anderson asks in shock, "On the first try you managed to find the sign, if that's not lucky I don't know what is," 

**Sherlock turns and sees John staring into the gap left by the books he removed. Stepping over to him, Sherlock reaches to the shelf and pulls out so many books with one hand.**

"How does he hold so many books in one hand,"

**Pulling out another huge handful of books with his other hand, he reveals that spray painted on the back of the shelf are the same two symbols that were sprayed across Sir William Shad's office.  
  
**

**_221B BAKER STREET._  
Photographs of the shelf have been added to the earlier photos stuck around the mirror in the living room. The boys are standing at the fireplace looking at the pictures. **

**SHERLOCK: So, the killer goes to the bank, leaves a threatening cipher for Van Coon; Van Coon panics, returns to his apartment, locks himself in.   
_(Flashback of a terrified Eddie Van Coon turning the key in the inside lock of his front door and fastening the safety chain before hurrying towards his bedroom.)_   
SHERLOCK: Hours later, he dies.   
JOHN: The killer finds Lukis at the library; he writes the cipher on the shelf where he knows it'll be seen; Lukis goes home.   
SHERLOCK: Late that night, he dies too. **

"Hey, why didn't that weird flashback thing happen?" Anderson asked, "You know, how it showed Eddi Van Coon," 

"Hmm, I don't know, maybe because we had already seen it?" Mrs Hudson **(A/N I almost wrote Mrs Lestrade)** responded. 

**JOHN _(softly)_ : _Why_ did they die, Sherlock?   
_(Sherlock runs his fingers over the line painted across Sir William's face.)_   
SHERLOCK: Only the cipher can tell us.   
_(He thoughtfully taps his finger against the photo as his expression sharpens. Apparently he has had an idea.)_**

**_ TRAFALGAR SQUARE.    
_ ** **The boys are walking through the centre of the square, heading towards the National Gallery.**

**SHERLOCK: The world's run on codes and ciphers, John. From the million-pound security system at the bank, to the PIN machine you took exception to, cryptography inhabits our every waking moment.   
JOHN: Yes, okay, but ...   
SHERLOCK: ... but it's all computer-generated: electronic codes, electronic ciphering methods. This is different. It's an ancient device. Modern code-breaking methods won't unravel it.   
JOHN: Where are we headed?   
SHERLOCK: I need to ask some advice. **

"WHAT!?!?!" Everyone, even Mycroft, though he was quieter yelled. John chuckling slightly.

"Yeah, I was shocked too" John commented, amusement lacing his voice. 

**JOHN: What?! Sorry?!   
_(Sherlock throws him a black look as John smiles in disbelief.)_   
SHERLOCK: You heard me perfectly. I'm not saying it again.   
JOHN: You need advice?   
SHERLOCK: On painting, yes. I need to talk to an expert. **

**He leads John towards the entrance to the National Gallery** **and straight around it to the rear of the building where a young man has spray-stencilled onto a solid grey metal door the image of a policeman holding a rifle in his hands. The image has a pig's snout in place of a human nose. A large canvas bag is at the man's feet and he is holding spray cans in both hands. With one of the cans he has sprayed his tag, "RAZ", below the image and he is now adding the finishing touches to his 'artwork.' He continues spraying, unperturbed, as Sherlock and John approach.**

"He's definetly not what I expected," Molly commented, shock lacing her voice.

"What did you expect?" John asked curiously. 

"A professional, someone who has their work in the actually gallery," Molly listed off.

**RAZ: Part of a new exhibition.   
SHERLOCK _(disinterestedly)_ : Interesting.   
RAZ: I call it Urban Bloodlust Frenzy.   
_(He chuckles.)_   
JOHN: Catchy(!)   
RAZ _(still spraying)_ : I've got two minutes before a Community Support Officer comes round that corner.   
_(He looks round to Sherlock.)_   
RAZ: Can we do this while I'm workin'? **

**Sherlock has taken his phone from his coat pocket and now holds it out towards Raz, who turns around and tosses one of the spray cans at John. John instinctively catches it, and looks at Sherlock and Raz in bewilderment. Raz takes Sherlock's phone and scrolls through the photographs of the yellow ciphers from Sir William's office and the library.**

**SHERLOCK: Know the author?   
RAZ: Recognise the paint. It's like Michigan; hardcore propellant. I'd say zinc.   
SHERLOCK: What about the symbols: d'you recognise them?   
RAZ _(squinting at the pictures)_ : Not even sure it's a proper language.   
SHERLOCK: Two men have been murdered, Raz. Deciphering this is the key to finding out who killed them.   
RAZ: What, and this is all you've got to go on? It's hardly much, now, is it?   
SHERLOCK: Are you gonna help us or not?   
RAZ: I'll ask around.   
SHERLOCK: Somebody _must_ know something about it.   
VOICE _(offscreen)_ : Oi! **

**The three of them look round and see two Community Support Officers hurrying towards them. Sherlock instantly grabs his phone from Raz and runs off in the opposite direction while Raz drops his spray can, kicks his bag towards John and also scarpers. John, the blithering idiot, meekly turns towards the officers.**

**COMMUNITY OFFICER: What the hell do you think you're doing? This gallery is a listed public building.   
JOHN: No, no, wait, wait. It's not _me_ who painted that.   
_(He holds up the spray can.)_   
JOHN: I was just holding this for ... **

"Why didn't you run?" Lestrade asks, as everyone else chuckles at John's misfortune.

"And the lucks gone," Anderson added as John shrugged in answer to Lestrade.

**He turns and seems to realise for the first time that he has been abandoned. He sighs quietly. The officer kicks open the bag to reveal more spray cans inside, then looks at John pointedly.**

**COMMUNITY OFFICER: Bit of an enthusiast, are we?   
_(John looks blankly at him and then stares at the graffiti on the door, apparently wondering how he's going to explain his way out of this.)  
  
_**

**_NATIONAL ANTIQUITIES MUSEUM._  
Andy is pestering the museum's Director about Soo Lin's abrupt departure.**

"Not this guy again, he's really starting to get annoying," Anderson commented.

"He's like a love sick puppy," Mrs Hudson agreed.

**ANDY: She was right in the middle of an important piece of restoration. Why would she suddenly resign?   
DIRECTOR: Family problems. She said so in her letter.   
ANDY: But she doesn't _have_ a family. She came to this country on her own.   
DIRECTOR: Andy ...   
ANDY: Look, those teapots, those ceramics: they've become her obsession. She's been working on restoring them for weeks. I-I can't believe that she would just abandon them.   
_(The Director looks at him pointedly.)_   
DIRECTOR: Perhaps she was getting a bit of unwanted attention.   
_(She walks away. Andy looks round awkwardly at other colleagues in the room who have been listening in but who now abruptly turn away.)  
  
_**

**_ 221B BAKER STREET  
_ ** **Sherlock is standing at the fireplace again. The mirror is now almost completely covered because he has added several sheets of paper with various ciphers and pictograms on them. He has his head lowered and is consulting a book. A slamming door announces John's return to the flat but since John immediately walks into the living room, I can only assume that he slammed the kitchen door shut as he walked past it – presumably the only way he can think of to signify that not only is he home but he is Mad As Hell.**

**SHERLOCK _(without turning round or looking up)_ : You've been a while.   
_(John walks a few more paces into the room, his shoulders rigid and his fists clenched. He stops, blinking as he fights to hold onto his anger, then turns to Sherlock.)_   
JOHN _(tightly)_ : Yeah, well, you know how it is. Custody sergeants don't really like to be hurried, do they?   
_(He starts pacing, an angry half-smile half-grimace on his face.)_   
JOHN: Just formalities: fingerprints, charge sheet; and I've gotta be in Magistrates Court on Tuesday.   
SHERLOCK _(absently, having clearly not heard a word)_ : What?  
** **JOHN _(angrily)_ : Me, Sherlock, in court on Tuesday. _(He puts on a rough London accent.)_ They're givin' me an ASBO!   
** **SHERLOCK _(still not paying any attention)_ : Good. Fine. **

"He didn't hear a word of that did he?" Lestrade asked, John chuckled slightly and shook his head. 

"Not a word," **  
**

**JOHN _(tightly)_ : You wanna tell your little pal he's welcome to go and own up any time.   
SHERLOCK _(slamming his book shut)_ : This symbol: I still can't place it.   
_(Turning and putting down the book, he walks over to John who has just started to take off his jacket, and pulls the jacket back onto his shoulders.)_   
SHERLOCK: No, I need you to go to the police station ...   
JOHN _(indignantly as Sherlock turns him around and steers him towards the door)_ : Oi, oi, oi!   
SHERLOCK: ... ask about the journalist.   
JOHN _(exasperated)_ : Oh, Jesus!   
SHERLOCK _(grabbing his own coat from the back of the door)_ : His personal effects will have been impounded. Get hold of his diary, or something that will tell us his movements.   
_(They go downstairs and out onto the street.)_   
SHERLOCK: Gonna go and see Van Coon's P.A. If we retrace their steps, somewhere they'll coincide. **

**He walks off down the street. John sees a taxi coming around the corner and hails it. As it pulls over to the kerb he sees an Oriental-looking woman with dark hair and wearing dark sunglasses standing on the other side of the road and taking a photograph. Her camera is aimed in his direction. He bends to the taxi driver's window.**

"*cough* Stalker *cough*" Donovan's half hide words caused everyone to chuckle slightly. 

**JOHN: Scotland Yard.   
TAXI DRIVER: Right.   
_(John gets into the back of the taxi and glances round to the other side of the road as he sits down. There is no sign of the woman.)  
  
_**

**_ SHAD SANDERSON BANK  
_ ** **Sherlock is in Van Coon's office standing beside his personal assistant, Amanda, who is looking at an online calendar.**

**AMANDA: Flew back from Dalian Friday. Looks like he had back-to-back meetings with the sales team.   
SHERLOCK: Can you print me up a copy?   
AMANDA: Sure.   
SHERLOCK: What about the day he died? Can you tell me where he was?   
AMANDA _(looking at the screen)_ : Sorry. Bit of a gap.   
**

**_(The calendar shows no entries for Monday the 22nd. Sherlock looks away, frustrated. Amanda also realises something.)  
_ ** **AMANDA: I have all his receipts. **

**  
_NEW SCOTLAND YARD.   
_ ** **Dimmock is standing at a desk and rummaging through a box of Brian Lukis' possessions. John stands at the other side.**

**DIMMOCK: Your friend ...   
JOHN: Listen: whatever you say, I'm behind you one hundred percent. **

"John," Mrs Hudson muttered, disappointment lacing her words.

"He had just got me arrested!" John defended himself though their was a ghost of a smile on his lips.

**DIMMOCK: ... he's an arrogant sod.   
JOHN: Well, _that_ was mild! People say a lot worse than that.   
_(Dimmock hands him a diary.)_   
DIMMOCK: This is what you wanted, isn't it? The journalist's diary? **

**John takes the diary and flicks through it, opening it at a page which has been bookmarked with a boarding pass to Dalian DLC [Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport] to London LHR [London Heathrow Airport] on Zhuang Airlines.  
  
**

**_ SHAD SANDERSON BANK.   
_ ** **_Amanda has spread out Van Coon's receipts on her desk._ **

**SHERLOCK: What kind of a boss was he, Amanda? Appreciative?   
AMANDA: Um, no. That's not a word I'd use. The only things Eddie appreciated had a big price tag.   
_(Sherlock kneels on the floor to give himself easier access to the receipts. While he is taking off his gloves he sees a pump-action bottle of luxury hand lotion at the back of the desk.)_   
SHERLOCK: Like that hand cream. _He_ bought that for you, didn't he? **

"Why is there always someone sleeping with their worker in these things?" Lestrade asks fully expecting the silence that followed.

**Fiddling nervously with a pin in her hair, Amanda looks at him in surprise. Sherlock shuffles through the paperwork and picks up a receipt from a licensed taxi. Dated 22 March 2010 and timed at 10:35, the receipt is for £18.50. He hands it up to Amanda.**

**SHERLOCK: Look at this one. Got a taxi from home on the day he died. Eighteen pounds fifty.   
AMANDA: That would get him to the office.   
SHERLOCK: Not rush hour; check the time. Mid-morning. Eighteen would get him as far as ...   
AMANDA: The West End. I remember him saying.   
_(Sherlock has now found a London Underground ticket with the same date on it and issued at "Picadilly" [which is mis-spelled]. He hands that up to Amanda.)_   
SHERLOCK: Underground. Printed at one in Piccadilly.   
AMANDA: So he got a Tube back to the office. Why would he get a taxi into town and then the Tube back?   
SHERLOCK _(still going through the receipts)_ : Because he was delivering something heavy. Didn't want to lug a package up the escalator.   
AMANDA: Delivering?   
SHERLOCK: To somewhere near Piccadilly Station. Dropped the package, delivered it and then ...   
_(He finds another receipt and stands up as he looks at it. It's from the Piazza Espresso Bar Italiano.)_   
SHERLOCK: ... stopped on his way. He got peckish.   
  
  
LONDON STREETS.   
Some time later Sherlock has found the espresso bar and is talking to himself out loud as he walks past it. **

**SHERLOCK: So you bought your lunch from here en route to the station, but where were you headed _from_? Where did the taxi drop you ...? **

**He has been spinning around as he walks and now bumps into someone approaching from behind who is also distracted and not looking where he's going. It's John, who is engrossed in looking down at Lukis' diary. Sherlock grunts as they collide. John looks surprised to see him there.**

"You two really need to pay more attention to where your going," Anderson pointed out. 

"I can't believe I'm saying this but he's right, what if you walked into on coming traffic?" Mycroft, yes Mycroft, commented slightly shock in his voice as Anderson smiled proudly. 

**JOHN: Right.   
SHERLOCK _(quick fire)_ : Eddie Van Coon brought a package here the day he died – whatever was hidden inside that case. I've managed to piece together a picture using scraps of information ...   
JOHN: Sherlock ...   
SHERLOCK: ... credit card bills, receipts. He flew back from China, then he came here.   
JOHN: Sherlock ...   
SHERLOCK: Somewhere in this street; somewhere near. I don't know where, but ...   
JOHN _(pointing to the other side of the road)_ : That shop over there.   
_(Sherlock looks at the shop, then looks back to John, frowning.)_   
SHERLOCK: How can you tell?   
JOHN: Lukis' diary. _(He shows Sherlock the entry.)_ He was here too. He wrote down the address.   
_(He turns and heads towards the shop.)_   
SHERLOCK: Oh.   
_(He follows after his friend.)_**

"You know for a split second, I think Sherlock actually thought you were smart John," Lestrade jokes slightly, John huffs slightly.  
  


**_ CHINATOWN.    
_ **

**The boys walk into a touristy shop which consists largely of decorative cats which are sitting up on their hind legs with one front paw raised. The paws on some of the cats are waving back and forth. John greets the female Chinese shop keeper politely.**

**JOHN: Hello. '  
 _(They look around at all the items on display. The shop keeper lifts one of the cats from the desk.)_   
SHOP KEEPER: You want lucky cat?   
JOHN: No, thanks. No.   
_(Sherlock looks round at him and smirks.)_   
SHOP KEEPER: Ten pound. Ten pound!   
JOHN: No.   
_(He smiles awkwardly.)_   
SHOP KEEPER: I think your wife, she will like! **

"What wife? I thought you were dating Sherlock," Mrs Hudson commented, turning to face John.

"John you're married?" Molly asked in shock, sending a small smirk over at Mrs Hudson.

"Ha ha very funny,"

**JOHN: No, thank you. **

**He walks over to one of the tables which has small ceramic painted handle-less cups on it. Sherlock is examining a rack displaying clay statues. John picks up one of the cups and turns it over to look at the price tag. His hand begins to tremble when he sees the Chinese symbol stuck on the underside. It's the same sort-of upside down eight with a line above it which was painted beside Sir William's portrait and on the library shelf.**

**JOHN: Sherlock.   
_(Sherlock, who has picked up one of the statues, puts it back on the shelf and comes over to him.)_   
JOHN: The label there.   
SHERLOCK: Yes, I see it.   
JOHN: Exactly the same as the cipher.   
_(Clearing his throat awkwardly, he puts the cup back. Sherlock lifts his head as it all starts to make sense to him.)  
(_** **_Shortly afterwards they have left the shop and are walking down the street.)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK: It's an ancient number system! Hangzhou.   
**

**_(The symbols from that system are flashing in his mind's eye as he walks.)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK: These days, only street traders use it. Those were numbers written on the wall at the bank and at the library. **

**He walks over to a greengrocer's which has some of its wares on display outside the shop. The various boxes have handwritten signs on them giving the names of the vegetables in both Chinese and English, and underneath is the cost of that particular item in both Hangzhou and English. He picks up various signs, checking the symbols.**

**SHERLOCK: Numbers written in an ancient Chinese dialect. **

"So the killers chinese?" Anderson commented.

"Like the girl stalking John? What? She was chinese and acting weird," Donovan addded the last part when everyone gave her weird looks.

**_(John has spotted a sign with the upside down eight and slash above it and its English equivalent beneath.)_   
JOHN: It's a fifteen! What we thought was the artist's tag – it's a number fifteen.   
SHERLOCK: And the blindfold – the horizontal line? That was a number as well.   
_(He shows John a price tag which has the almost-horizontal line at the top, and "£1" written underneath.)_   
SHERLOCK _(grinning triumphantly)_ : The Chinese number one, John.   
JOHN: We've found it! **

**Sherlock turns and walks away. As John smiles and turns to follow him, he sees the same woman who was taking a photograph outside 221 standing nearby. Still wearing her dark sunglasses, she again has her camera raised and pointed towards him as she takes a picture. Someone walks across her, obscuring his view of her for a moment, and by the time the person has passed, she has vanished. John frowns, then follows after his friend.**

"It's offical, she's creepy," Donovan couldn't help but comment.

**Shortly afterwards, they're staking out the tourist shop, which we now see is The Lucky Cat, the shop outside which Andy Galbraith was standing when he tried Soo Lin's doorbell. Sitting at a table in the window of the restaurant opposite the shop, Sherlock is writing the two Hangzhou numbers and their English equivalents onto a paper napkin. John sits opposite him, also writing notes.**

**JOHN: Two men travel back from China. Both head straight for the Lucky Cat emporium. What did they see?   
SHERLOCK: It's not what they saw; it's what they both brought back in those suitcases.   
JOHN: And you don't mean duty free.   
_(A waitress brings over a plate of food and puts it down in front of John.)_   
JOHN: Thank you.   
SHERLOCK: Think about what Sebastian told us; about Van Coon – about how he stayed afloat in the market.   
JOHN: Lost five million ...   
SHERLOCK: ... made it back in a week.   
JOHN: Mmm.   
SHERLOCK: That's how he made such easy money.   
JOHN: He was a smuggler. Mmm. **

"Your finally gettting it," Molly teased, amusement crinkling in her eyes.

**_(He takes a mouthful of food.)_   
SHERLOCK: A guy like him – it would have been perfect.   
_(Cutaway flashback of Van Coon paying a taxi driver just outside the Lucky Cat and then carrying his suitcase towards the shop.)_   
SHERLOCK: Business man ...   
JOHN: Mmm-hmm.   
SHERLOCK: ... making frequent trips to Asia. And Lukis was the same ...   
_(Cutaway flashback of Lukis carrying his suitcase into the Lucky Cat and lifting it onto the counter.)_   
SHERLOCK: ... a journalist writing about China.   
JOHN: Mmm.   
SHERLOCK: Both of them smuggled stuff out, and the Lucky Cat was their drop-off.   
JOHN: But why did they die? I mean, it doesn't make sense. If they both turn up at the shop and deliver the goods, why would someone threaten them and kill them after the event, after they'd finished the job?   
_(Sherlock sits back thoughtfully for a few seconds, then smiles as he realises the answer.)_   
SHERLOCK: What if one of them was light-fingered?   
JOHN: How d'you mean?   
SHERLOCK: Stole something; something from the hoard.   
JOHN: And the killer doesn't know which of them took it, so he threatens them both. Right.   
_(Sherlock looks out of the window towards the shop, then raises his eyes to the windows above it. Looking down to the ground floor level again, his gaze sharpens.)_   
SHERLOCK: Remind me ...   
_(He focuses on a Yellow Pages phone directory sealed in a plastic wrapper which has been left outside the door to the flat beside the Lucky Cat.)_   
SHERLOCK: ... when was the last time that it rained? **

"How the hell did he notice that?" Anderson cried out in shock.

"He simple just observed, anyone could see it," Mycroft explained in that uptight voice.

**Without waiting for a reply, he stands up and leaves the restaurant. John, who has probably managed only two mouthfuls of his meal, sits back in exasperation but then dutifully gets up and follows.**

**Over the road, Sherlock bends down to the Yellow Pages. The plastic wrapper still has drops of water on it, and the top of it has broken open a little. Sherlock runs his fingers over the top of the wet exposed pages of the directory.**

**SHERLOCK: It's been here since Monday. **

**He straightens up and presses Soo Lin's doorbell. He only waits a couple of seconds, then looks to his right and heads off in that direction. There's an alleyway beside the flat and the boys walk down the alley.**

**SHERLOCK: No-one's been in that flat for at least three days.   
JOHN: Could've gone on holiday.   
SHERLOCK: D' _you_ leave your windows open when you go on holiday?**

**He has reached the rear of the building and looks up to see a cantilevered metal fire escape above his head. Taking a short run at it, he jumps up and grabs the end, pulling it down towards him until it touches the ground, then runs up the steps towards the open window of the flat. As he reaches the top, the ladder swings back to the horizontal position behind him.**

**JOHN: Sherlock! **

"How many times does that happen to you?" Lestrade asks curiously.

"To much to count, but that's Sherlock for you," John replied, a bit of annyoance lacing his voice as he remembered all the times he's supposed partener in crime left him.

**Realising that he's far too much of a short-arse to be able to pull the ladder down again, he turns and runs back along the alley to the front of the building.  
**

**Sherlock climbs in through the window into the kitchen, then cries out in muffled alarm as he almost knocks a vase of flowers off the table beside the window. Catching it before it hits the floor, he looks down and sees a wet patch on the rug in the precise place where the vase would have hit if it had reached the floor. Straightening up, he calls out of the open window, unaware that John is no longer there.**

**SHERLOCK: Someone else has been here.   
_(Putting the vase back onto the table, he looks around, talking too quietly for John to hear even if he was still nearby.)_   
SHERLOCK: Somebody else broke into the flat and knocked over the vase just like I did. **

**He looks round the kitchen, then bends down to the washing machine and opens it. Taking out an item of Soo Lin's unmentionables, he sniffs it and grimaces. Downstairs, John rings on the doorbell. Sherlock puts the item back into the washing machine and pushes the door closed, then reaches for a tea towel hanging up nearby.**

**JOHN _(from outside)_ : D'you think maybe you could let me in this time?   
_(Sherlock feels the tea towel, apparently finds that it's dry, and moves onwards. Downstairs, John bends down to the letterbox, pushes it open and calls through the gap.)_   
JOHN: Can you _not_ keep doing this, please? **

"I think he's trying to protect you by keeping you out," Anderson said, always pointing out the obvious. John huffs slightly shaking his head slightly.

"Well I didn't know that before,"

**_(Sherlock has taken a pint of milk from the fridge and has taken off the lid and now sniffs the contents. Putting the bottle back into the fridge, he calls out.)_   
SHERLOCK: I'm not the first.   
_(With the everyday noise of the street all around him, John can't hear what he's saying. He bends down and puts his ear to the letterbox which he's still holding open.)_   
JOHN: What?   
SHERLOCK _(louder)_ : Somebody's been in here before me!   
JOHN: _What_ are you saying?   
_(Sherlock has taken his pocket magnifier from his coat and looks down to where a foot has rucked up the rug, leaving an impression of the intruder's shoe.)_   
SHERLOCK _(not as loudly)_ : Size eight feet.   
_(He pushes through the beaded curtain between the kitchen and the bedroom/living room, bent forward while he examines the rug.)_   
SHERLOCK (now talking more to himself than to John): Small, but ... athletic.   
_(He straightens up, looking thoughtful. Outside, John lets go of the letterbox and straightens up, sighing in exasperation.)_   
JOHN: I'm wasting my breath. **

**He walks a couple of paces away from the door, glaring around in annoyance, then turns back and rings the doorbell again. Inside, Sherlock has picked up a framed photograph of two young Chinese children – a boy and a girl. A fresh handprint is on the glass where someone has pressed their fingers against the image of the girl. Sherlock is holding his magnifier over the fingerprints as he gently runs his gloved fingers along them to gauge the size.**

"He hasn't figured it out yet," Mycroft commented, finally sounding amused, yet still uptight. 

"Figured out what?" Molly asks curiously.

"Otherwise he would be more careful," Mycroft added absentmindedly either ignoring or not hearing Molly.

**SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : Small, strong hands.   
_(Closing the magnifier, he puts down the photograph.)_   
SHERLOCK: Our acrobat.   
_(He frowns, looking round.)_   
SHERLOCK: But why didn't he close the window when he left ...?   
_(He stops as he realises the truth and rolls his eyes at himself.)_   
SHERLOCK: Oh, stupid. _Stupid_. Obvious. He's still here. **

**He looks around the room and sees an ornately decorated free-standing folding screen shielding the bed. Putting his magnifier into his pocket, he walks carefully towards it and then grabs the edge of the screen and pulls it back. Two stuffed toys stare back at him in startled terror from the bedside table. Before he has a chance to apologise to them, someone quickly wraps a long white silk scarf around his neck from behind and bundles him to the floor on his back, strangling him. Sherlock grabs at the scarf, trying to relieve the pressure on his throat but the assailant – dressed all in black – continues to throttle him. Downstairs, John bends to the letterbox and flips it open again.**

**JOHN: _Any_ time you want to include me.   
SHERLOCK _(faintly, as he struggles against his attacker)_ : John! John!   
_(Downstairs, John has straightened up again and shakes his head in frustration.)_   
JOHN _(pacing in irritation)_ : "No, I'm Sherlock Holmes and I always work alone because no-one else can compete with ..."   
_(He storms back to the letterbox, flips it open and angrily shouts through it.)_   
JOHN: "... my MASSIVE INTELLECT!" **

"JOHN! couldn't you have been just a bit more consderate, he is being strangled!" Mrs Hudson scolded, lightly smaking the back of the doctors head. John sheepishly smiles back at them.

**He drops the letterbox again. Upstairs, Sherlock is starting to lose consciousness. As his struggles become weaker and his hands fall clear of the scarf, the attacker releases his grip. Downstairs, John angrily rings on the doorbell again. Upstairs, while Sherlock lies still on the floor, his eyes half closed, the assailant shoves something into Sherlock's coat pocket, then gets up and runs off. Sherlock chokes and coughs, tugging the scarf from around his neck and rolling onto his front before getting up onto his hands and knees. As the attacker disappears through the beaded curtain into the kitchen, Sherlock groans and pulls his own scarf loose, gasping as he gets his breath back. Downstairs, John looks at his watch in irritation and shakes his head, apparently considering just leaving. Upstairs, breathing a little better, Sherlock sits up on his heels, rummages in his coat pocket and pulls out a black origami paper flower. He looks at it for a moment, then stumbles to his feet, wobbling for a moment before pulling himself together and heading for the stairs.  
** **A few moments later he opens the front door downstairs. John makes an exasperated sound and glares at him. When Sherlock speaks, his voice is croaky.**

**SHERLOCK: The, uh, milk's gone off and the washing's starting to smell. Somebody left here in a hurry three days ago.   
JOHN: Somebody?   
SHERLOCK _(nodding, his voice still rough)_ : Soo Lin Yao. We have to find her.   
_(He looks down and bends to pick something off the floor.)_   
JOHN: But how, exactly?   
_(Sherlock picks up a folded envelope. On the back of it is written:_   
  
SOO LIN   
Please ring me   
tell me you're   
OK   
Andy**

**_He unfolds the envelope and looks at the front of it. Printed in the bottom right hand corner is:_ **

**NATIONAL  
ANTIQUITIES   
MUSEUM**

**SHERLOCK _(croakily)_ : Maybe we could start with this.   
_(He walks out, closing the door behind him, and heads off down the road, John following him.)_   
JOHN: You've gone all croaky. Are you getting a cold?   
SHERLOCK _(coughing)_ : I'm fine. **

"Yes because you can totally catch that bad of a cold in the span of two seconds," Donovan retorted sarcastically causing John to sink into his seat, cursing his younger, stupider self.  
  


**_ NATIONAL ANTIQUITIES MUSEUM.    
_ **

**Sherlock is pacing around a display area while he interviews Andy.**

**SHERLOCK: When was the last time that you saw her?   
ANDY: Three days ago, um, here at the museum.   
_(Sherlock focuses briefly on a glass case showing some of the clay teapots. Most of them are dull but one is shiny.)_   
ANDY: This morning they told me she'd resigned just like that.   
_(Sherlock looks at another case containing some jade figurines, and then at a piece of artwork.)_   
ANDY: Just left her work unfinished.   
SHERLOCK _(turning to him)_ : What was the last thing that she did on her final afternoon?  
** **( _Andy has brought the boys to the basement archive, and now turns on the lights as he leads them in.)  
_**

**ANDY: She does this demonstration for the tourists – a-a tea ceremony. So she would have packed up her things and just put them in here. **

**He leads them to the open stack and starts turning a handle at the end to widen the gap. John goes to stand behind him and looks into the stack but Sherlock has noticed something more interesting in the shadows further along the room. He walks closer to it. On a stand is a life-sized sculpture of a nude woman ... and yellow paint has been spray painted across the front of it. An almost horizontal straight line goes across the eyes, and over the body has been sprayed the open upside down eight with the almost horizontal line above it. Andy and John turn and see what he has found.**

"Hey is that what this girl, Soo Lin saw at the start of this, memory?" Molly asks curiously. A couple people hum in response but no one bothers to respond probably.

**Outside the museum, night has fallen as Sherlock and John come out.**

**SHERLOCK: We have to get to Soo Lin Yao.   
JOHN: If she's still alive.   
RAZ: Sherlock!   
_(The boys turn as Raz runs over to join them.)_   
JOHN: Oh, look who it is.   
RAZ _(to Sherlock)_ : Found something you'll like. **

**He trots off and Sherlock immediately follows. John heads off after them a little more slowly.  
**

**Shortly afterwards the three of them are walking across Hungerford Bridge, heading towards the south side of the river.**

**JOHN: Tuesday morning, all you've gotta do is turn up and say the bag was yours.   
SHERLOCK: Forget about your court date.   
_(They continue onwards, unaware that the Chinese woman with the dark sunglasses is watching them.)_**

"Seriously! Is anyone else creeped out by her?" Donovan yelled in annoyance. Molly, and the other yarders all hum in agreement while the other's pretty much just roll their eyes.  
  


**_SOUTH BANK SKATE PARK._  
Raz leads the other two across the under-croft. A boy has just done some kind of clever jump on his pushbike. **

**GIRL: Dude, that was rad!   
SHERLOCK: If you want to hide a tree, then a forest is the best place to do it, wouldn't you say? People would just walk straight past, not knowing, unable to decipher the message. **

"Is it bad that the first thing I thought of was if a tree falls in the woods with no one around, does it make a sound?" Anderson randomly asks.

"Yes, yes it is," Mrs Hudson instantly replied.

"How is that bad? It makes since," Lestrade questions his eyebrows furrowing. 

"Anderson thought of it," Once again, Mrs Hudson responded immediantly and her words caused Anderson to shrink in his seat.

**_(Raz points to a particular area on the heavily-graffitied walls.)_   
RAZ: There. I spotted it earlier.   
_(Amongst all the other paint there are slashes of the yellow paint forming Chinese symbols. Some of them are already partially painted over by other artists' tags and pictures.)_   
SHERLOCK: They _have_ been in here. _(To Raz)_ And that's the exact same paint?   
RAZ: Yeah.   
SHERLOCK: John, if we're going to decipher this code, we're gonna need to look for more evidence.**

**The two of them split up and begin searching. Sherlock walks along the end of a railway line and finds an abandoned spray can on the tracks. Squatting down to pick it up, he puts the end of his flashlight into his mouth and runs a thumb over the yellow paint on the nozzle, then sniffs the nozzle.  
John walks through an underpass, looking closely at the graffiti and posters on the walls as he goes.   
Sherlock is now walking past a wall which has many posters glued to it. One of the posters attracts his attention and he tears off the bottom corner of it and takes it with him as he continues onwards.   
John is now out on the railway lines. His flashlight picks out splashes of yellow paint on the sleepers and on the rails, then he raises his light to a brick wall, possibly the wall of a maintenance shed, which is about fifteen feet wide. He steps back, his mouth open in surprise as he begins to realise that the entire wall is covered with large yellow Chinese symbols.  
** **Later he has finally tracked down Sherlock who is currently looking at the side of a parked rail freight container.**

**JOHN _(trotting towards him)_ : Answer your phone! I've been calling you! I've found it. **

  
**He turns around again and the two of them run off into the night side by side, Sherlock's coat billowing behind him.**

**Back at the wall, John leads Sherlock towards it, but his mouth drops open in surprise again, this time for a different reason. The entire wall is now blank.**

"Well that's... unfortunate,"

**JOHN: It's been painted over!  
** **_(Sherlock shines his flashlight around the area as John continues to stare at the wall in disbelief.)  
_ ** **JOHN: I don't understand. It-it was here ... _(he stumbles backwards)_ ... ten minutes ago. I _saw_ it. A whole load of graffiti!?  
**

**SHERLOCK: Somebody doesn't want me to see it.   
**

**_(He turns and grabs the sides of John's head in both hands.)_ **

"Sherlock looks like hee's going to kiss you," Molly comments, almost wistfully, her words causing John to blush. 

**JOHN: Hey, Sherlock, what are you doing ...?   
SHERLOCK: Shh, John, concentrate. I need you to concentrate. Close your eyes.   
JOHN: No, what? Why? Why?   
_(Sherlock lowers his hands to hold John by the upper arms.)_   
JOHN: What are you doing?! _  
(Sherlock starts to spin them slowly around on the spot, staring intensely into John's eyes.)_   
SHERLOCK: I need you to maximise your visual memory. Try to picture what you saw. Can you picture it?   
JOHN: Yeah.   
SHERLOCK: Can you remember it?   
JOHN: Yes, definitely.   
SHERLOCK: Can you remember the pattern?   
JOHN: Yes!   
SHERLOCK: How _much_ can you remember it?   
JOHN: Well, don't worry ...   
SHERLOCK _(still spinning them)_ : Because the average human memory on visual matters is only sixty-two percent accurate.   
JOHN: Yeah, well, don't worry – I remember all of it.   
SHERLOCK _(disbelievingly)_ : Really?   
JOHN: Yeah, well at least I _would ... (he pulls himself free)_ ... if I can get to my pockets!   
_(He rummages in his jacket pocket.)_   
JOHN: I took a photograph.**

"I don't get it, why would they bother to cover it up, they obviously saw John, so wouldn't they have seen John take the photo?" Anderson asked.

"They could have just saw John run off," Donovan pointed out causing Anderson to shrug.

**He takes out his phone and pulls up a flash photo he has taken of the wall which shows all the symbols clearly. He gives the phone to Sherlock, who takes it and looks embarrassed as John sighs and turns away.  
**

**_221B BAKER STREET._  
The photograph has been blown up into small sections and then printed out and all the pictures are stuck on the mirror. The numerical value of each symbol has been written against it. Sherlock is standing at the fireplace looking at the pictures closely and has spotted a pattern. **

**SHERLOCK: Always in pairs, John. **

**John is sitting at the dining table with his back to the fireplace and his head propped in his hands. Sherlock's voice wakes him up. He blinks and turns his head, squinting round at his friend.**

**JOHN: Hmm?   
SHERLOCK: Numbers come with partners. **

"You know, I'm suprised it took my little brother so long to figure it out, I mean it's was so obvious," Mycroft comment absetmindedly.

**JOHN _(gazing around the flat blankly)_ : God, I need to sleep.   
SHERLOCK: Why did he paint it so near the tracks?   
JOHN _(tiredly)_ : No idea.   
SHERLOCK: Thousands of people pass by there every day.   
JOHN _(propping his head in his hand again)_ : Just twenty minutes.   
SHERLOCK _(realising something)_ : Of course.   
_(He's looking at a photo of the full wall, and now smiles triumphantly.)_   
SHERLOCK: Of _course_! He wants information. He's trying to communicate with his people in the underworld. Whatever was stolen, he wants it back.   
_(He runs his finger over the symbols.)_   
SHERLOCK: Somewhere here in the code.   
_(He pulls three photographs off the wall and turns towards the door.)_   
SHERLOCK: We can't crack this without Soo Lin Yao. **

"I thought she was dead," Lestrade commented.

"No, just missing,"

**JOHN: Oh, good(!)   
_(Tiredly, he gets up to follow.)  
  
_**

** _NATIONAL ANTIQUITIES MUSEUM.  
_ ** **The boys are back with Andy in the same display room they met him in earlier.**

**SHERLOCK: Two men who travelled back from China were murdered, and their killer left them messages in the Hangzhou numerals.   
JOHN: Soo Lin Yao's in danger. Now, that cipher – it was just the same pattern as the others. He means to kill her as well.   
ANDY: Look, I've tried everywhere: um, friends, colleagues. I-I don't know where she's gone. I mean, she could be a thousand miles away.   
_(Sherlock has turned his head away in exasperation, but now his gaze focuses on the nearby glass case displaying the teapots.)_   
JOHN: What are you looking at?   
SHERLOCK _(pointing at the case as he walks towards it)_ : Tell me more about those teapots.   
ANDY: Th-the pots were her obsession. Um, they need urgent work. If-if they dry out, then the clay can start to crumble. Apparently you have to just keep making tea in them.   
_(Sherlock bends down to look more closely at the shelf.)_   
SHERLOCK: Yesterday, only one of those pots was shining. Now there are two.**

"Dun, dun dunnnnn!!!!"

**Later, elsewhere in the museum, fingers reach through the gaps in a large grating at the bottom of a wall and carefully push the grating outwards. Moments after that, a shadow moves across the dimly lit display room, and a hand reaches into the glass case to take out one of the not-shiny teapots. The shadow moves away again. Not long afterwards, Soo Lin is in an almost-dark restoration room, pouring tea into the teapot on the desk in front of her. She picks up the lid and carefully strokes it around the rim as, behind her, a very recognisable curly-headed silhouette appears on the other side of a window in the door. Unaware of this, she picks up the teapot and pours some of the liquid into a pair of cups. Pouring more of the tea into the tray on which the cups are standing, she swills the teapot around to cover the outside with the drips. A figure steps up beside her.**

**SHERLOCK: Fancy a biscuit with that? **

**Before he finishes the sentence she gasps in fright and turns towards him, the teapot dropping from her terrified fingers.**

"Sherlock, you'll give the poor girl a heart attack," Mrs Hudson scolded.

**Sherlock reacts instantly and bends his knees to reach down and catch the teapot before it hits the floor. He looks up at her.**

**SHERLOCK: Centuries old. Don't wanna break that. **

**He slowly straightens up and hands the teapot back to her. As she takes it, he reaches out and flicks a switch on the desk, turning on the lights underneath the surface. He smiles slightly at her.**

**SHERLOCK: Hello. **


	9. The Blind Baker (01x02 part 3/4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

**_ NATIONAL ANTIQUITIES MUSEUM.  _ ** **  
John has now arrived and he and Soo Lin sit on stools on opposite sides of the table. Sherlock stands at the end of the table.**

**SOO LIN: You saw the cipher. Then you know he is coming for me.   
SHERLOCK: You've been clever to avoid him so far.   
SOO LIN: I had to finish ... to finish this work. It's only a matter of time. I know he will find me. **

"Why does she want to finish her work? Why not run an save her life?" Anderson wondered aloud, slightly glancing backwards just to see if they had an answer.

"You heard Andy didn't you? Her work is her life, her family, plus she probably knows that no matter where she goes they'll find her so whats the point in running?" Molly replies to the more or less rhetorical question.

**SHERLOCK: Who is he? Have you met him before?   
SOO LIN _(nodding)_ : When I was a girl, living back in China. I recognise his ... 'signature.'   
SHERLOCK: The cipher.   
SOO LIN: Only _he_ would do this. Zhi Zhu.   
JOHN: Zhi Zhu?   
SHERLOCK: The Spider.   
_(Putting her right foot up on her opposite knee, Soo Lin unlaces her shoe and takes it off. On the underside of her heel is a black tattoo of a lotus flower inside a circle.)_   
SOO LIN: You know this mark?   
SHERLOCK: Yes. It's the mark of a Tong.   
JOHN: Hmm?   
SHERLOCK: Ancient crime syndicate based in China.   
_(John nods his understanding and turns back to Soo Lin.)_   
SOO LIN: Every foot soldier bears the mark; everyone who hauls for them.   
JOHN: "Hauls"?   
_(She looks up at him. His eyes widen.)_   
JOHN: Y-you mean you were a smuggler?**

"So that's how she knew so much about it," Lestrade commented absentmindedly.

"Obviously," Mycroft retorted, his voice sharp with arrogance.

**_(She lowers her gaze and puts her shoe back on.)_   
SOO LIN: I was fifteen. My parents were dead. I had no livelihood; no way of surviving day to day except to work for the bosses.   
SHERLOCK: Who are they?   
SOO LIN: They are called the Black Lotus. By the time I was sixteen, I was taking thousands of pounds' worth of drugs across the border into Hong Kong. But I managed to leave that life behind me. I came to England.   
_(She smiles a little.)_   
SOO LIN: They gave me a job here. Everything was good; a new life.   
SHERLOCK: Then he came looking for you.   
SOO LIN: Yes.   
_(Upset, she swallows before continuing tearfully.)_ **

"That poor girl," Mrs. Hudson whispered mournfully, pity swirling throughout her gaze.

**SOO LIN: I had hoped after five years maybe they would have forgotten me, but they never really let you leave. A small community like ours – they are never very far away.   
_(She wipes tears from her face.)_   
SOO LIN: He came to my flat. He asked me to help him to track down something that was stolen.   
JOHN: And you've no idea what it was?   
SOO LIN: I refused to help.   
JOHN _(leaning forward)_ : So you knew him well when you were living back in China?   
_(She nods.)_   
SOO LIN: Oh yes.   
_(She looks up at Sherlock.)_   
SOO LIN: He's my brother. **

A sharp intake of breath is heard from everyone but Mycroft and John, as they all stared up at the screen in shock. Even Mycroft looked a little shocked as he reflected back on his relationship with his brother, wondering if Sherlock would ever do something like that. 

**Elsewhere, the hands of what is presumably a woman wearing black nail varnish open a box and fold back the tissue paper covering the contents. The box contains sheets of black paper. The hands take out the top sheet and lay it on the table.**

"Who the hell is that? And what is she doing," Donovan's voice was raised, not shouting loud but defiently not normally talk, a little fear crepping into her voice. 

"Who knows," Was the vague response that Donovan, who wanted specifics, didn't want.

**SOO LIN: Two orphans. We had no choice. We could work for the Black Lotus, or starve on the streets like beggars. **

**The hands have folded the sheet of paper a few times, pressing down to set the folds, and now open the sheet out flat again. They fold one of the corners up, then turn the paper around to start folding up the opposite corner.** **  
**

**SOO LIN: My brother has become their puppet, in the power of the one they call Shan – the Black Lotus general.   
_(The hands continue folding the paper.)_ **

"Do you think who ever's folding the paper is this Shan person?" Molly asks as they all stare, kinda scared, at the screen. John stiffens slightly at her words, finally realising who it is but doesn't say anything, no one else replies but a couple of people hum in agreement.

**SOO LIN: I turned my brother away. He said I had betrayed him. Next day I came to work and the cipher was waiting.   
_(The hands have nearly completed their work and the paper is now folded into an intricate shape.)  
(In the museum, Sherlock lays the photographs on the table.)_   
SHERLOCK: Can you decipher these?   
_(Soo Lin leans forward and points to the mark beside Sir William's portrait.)_   
SOO LIN: These are numbers.   
SHERLOCK: Yes, I know.   
SOO LIN _(pointing to another photograph)_ : Here: the line across the man's eyes – it's the Chinese number one.   
SHERLOCK _(pointing to the first photo)_ : And this one is fifteen. But what's the code?   
SOO LIN: All the smugglers know it. It's based upon a book ...   
_(Just then almost all the lights go out. Soo Lin looks up in dread. Sherlock straightens up and looks around sharply.)_   
SOO LIN _(softly, her face full of terror)_ : He's here. Zhi Zhu. He has found me.   
_(And Sherlock's off, racing across the room. John calls to him softly but urgently.)_   
JOHN: Sh-Sherlock. Sherlock, wait!   
_(Sherlock charges out of the room._**

"Why would he do that?" Anderson asked, "why not just stay there?"

"It's just what Sherlock does," John replied, "he almost always charges head first into danger without a second thought,"

**_John turns to Soo Lin and grabs her hand.)_   
JOHN: Come here.   
_(He pulls her across the room towards another room, or possibly a cupboard – it's not clear which.)_   
JOHN: Get in. Get in! **

**Sherlock races across a large open foyer with a staircase at each end and a balcony surrounding the floor above. He stops in the middle of the foyer and looks around. From his right, a figure runs across the balcony and fires a pistol at him. Sherlock turns and runs in the opposite direction, flinging himself to the floor and sliding along it to take shelter behind a statue on a low plinth. The figure fires a couple more times as Sherlock scrambles behind the plinth. In the restoration room, John looks up at the sound of gunfire, then turns to Soo Lin.**

**JOHN: I have to go and help. Bolt the door after me. **

"Seriously? Your just going to leave her?" Lestrade asks in shock. 

"I-I had to help Sherlock," John answered sheepishly feeling guilty, espically after seeing Soo Lin's face.

**He hurries off. Soo Lin's face fills with dread. John makes his way cautiously out into the foyer, then ducks and runs for cover as more gunshots ring out. The figure runs back across the balcony and disappears from view. Sherlock comes out from behind the plinth and hares across the foyer and up the stairs. John peers out from behind a column at the other end of the foyer as Sherlock reaches the top of the stairs and tears around the corner. He pelts into another display room and the gunman runs out of cover behind him and fires towards him again. Sherlock ducks behind a display cabinet displaying some ancient skulls as the figure fires again.**

**SHERLOCK _(calling out)_ : Careful!   
_(The gunman fires again.)_   
SHERLOCK _(calling out)_ : Some of those skulls are over two hundred thousand years old! Have a bit of respect! **

"Seriously? That's what he cares about? Skulls? Not his own life?" Anderson asks like it's ludercris and maybe for normal people it is but he doesn't seem to understand that this is Sherlock.

**_(He pauses for a couple of seconds, breathing heavily. There are no more gunshots.)_   
SHERLOCK: Thank you(!) **

**There's no more sound from the gunman. After a moment Sherlock frowns, then carefully peers through the glass of the case.  
** **In the restoration room, Soo Lin looks up anxiously. [A drum beat begins to sound. Again, I'm not sure whether she actually hears this or if it's dramatic background music, but she closes her eyes in despair at the same moment. Upstairs, Sherlock also looks around as if he can hear the drumming and on the landing, John looks around too. As the drumming stops,] Soo Lin takes a shaky breath and slowly begins to crawl out of her hiding place. On the desk, paperwork is fluttering in a slight breeze. Soo Lin crawls to the edge of the table and peers over the top of it before slowly standing up. Behind her, a Chinese man a little older than her silently walks up and stops just behind her, staring at her intently. As if sensing him, she turns slowly around, and then gazes at him with affection when she recognises him. She softly greets him by name.**

**SOO LIN: 亮 [Liang.]   
_(She hesitates for a moment.)_   
SOO LIN: 大哥 [Big brother.]   
_(She reaches out and cups his face with her hand.)_   
SOO LIN: 请你 [Please ...] **

**As John continues to search for his friend, a single gunshot rings out in the distance. He turns towards the sound, his face filling with appalled horror when he realises where the shot has come from.**

**JOHN: Oh my God. **

**He races back to the stairs and runs down them, across the foyer and back to the restoration room. Entering the room, he slows down and looks around cautiously for any sign of the gunman. Carefully making his way across the room, he stops and then groans in despair and guilt at the sight which greets him. Soo Lin lies dead on the table, her outstretched arm revealing a black origami lotus flower in her upturned hand.**

Gasps fill the room, and Mrs. Hudson and Molly both cover their mouths at they stare at Soo Lin's limp body.

"Who would do such a thing? And to their sister no less!" Lestrade hisses in disgust, everyone hums in agreement.  
  


**NEW SCOTLAND YARD.  
John and Sherlock are standing a short distance away from Dimmock who has his back to them and is rummaging through paperwork on a desk as if trying to ignore them. **

**JOHN: How many murders is it gonna take before you start believing that this maniac's out there?   
_(Dimmock turns and walks in between them, heading for another desk. John turns round and follows him.)_   
JOHN: A young girl was gunned down tonight. That's three victims in three days. You're supposed to be finding him.   
_(Sherlock walks across in front of John to get closer to Dimmock. John steps back and walks a few paces away in exasperation.)_   
SHERLOCK: Brian Lukis and Eddie Van Coon were working for a gang of international smugglers – a gang called the Black Lotus operating here in London _right_ under your nose.   
_(He has leaned closer to Dimmock to emphasise his last point. Dimmock finally looks round to him.)_   
DIMMOCK: Can you prove that?   
_(Sherlock straightens up thoughtfully.)_**

"Of course he can," John can't help but mutter under his breath  
  


**_ST BARTHOLOMEW'S HOSPITAL._  
In the canteen, mortician Molly Hooper is looking at the choices in the self-service display. **

**SHERLOCK: What are you thinking: pork or the pasta?   
_(She turns in surprise at his voice beside her.)_   
MOLLY: Oh, it's you!   
SHERLOCK: This place is never going to trouble Egon Ronay, is it?   
_(He smiles at her, then nods to the display.)_   
SHERLOCK: I'd stick with the pasta. Don't wanna be doing roast pork – not if you're slicing up cadavers.   
_(Again he smiles at her. She grins nervously.)_   
MOLLY: What are you having?   
SHERLOCK: Don't eat when I'm working. Digesting slows me down. **

"That's why he doesn't eat?" Lestgrade asks in shock, only knowing that Sherlock doesn't eat while working.

**MOLLY: So you're working here tonight?   
SHERLOCK: Need to examine some bodies.   
MOLLY: "Some"?   
SHERLOCK: Eddie Van Coon and Brian Lukis.   
MOLLY _(looking at the clipboard she's holding)_ : They're on my list.   
_(Sherlock turns puppy-dog eyes on her.)_   
SHERLOCK: Could you wheel them out again for me?   
MOLLY _(apologetically)_ : Well ... the paperwork's already gone through.   
_(Sherlock lifts his eyes a little as if noticing something, and points at her hair.)_   
SHERLOCK: You've ... changed your hair.   
MOLLY _(nervously)_ : What?   
SHERLOCK: The-the style: it's usually parted in the middle.   
MOLLY: Yes, well ...   
SHERLOCK: Mmm, it's good; it, um, suits you better this way. **

**Once again he wheels out the smile. She returns it, looking both flattered and flustered, then turns away to the display, smiling nervously. Instantly Sherlock's smile drops and he looks impatiently at his watch.**

Molly frowns slightly as Donovan snorts in amusement. "The freaks just using you," Molly frown deepens at Donovan's words causing everyone, even Mycroft though he's his only small, to glare at the sargent.  
  


**MORGUE.  
Later, two body bags are lying on adjacent tables. Molly, wearing latex gloves, unzips the top of one of the bags and pulls the sides apart to reveal the face of Brian Lukis. Sherlock leads Dimmock into the room. **

**SHERLOCK: We're just interested in the feet.   
MOLLY _(frowning)_ : The feet?   
SHERLOCK: Yes. D'you mind if we have a look at them? **

**Smiling at her, he leads Dimmock to the other end of the body bag. Molly follows him and unzips the bag at that end, pulling the sides back to reveal the bottom of Lukis' feet. On the bottom of the right heel is a tattoo identical to the one which Soo Lin showed the boys earlier. Sherlock straightens up, a smug expression on his face, and walks over to the other table.**

"Does he have to look so smug?" Anderson asks, feeling slightly sympthetic at the Dective Inspector.

"It wouldn't be Sherlock if he wasn't," Lestrade pointed out, John hums in agreement.

**SHERLOCK: Now Van Coon.   
_(Molly and Dimmock follow him to the second table and she unzips the other body bag. Van Coon has an identical tattoo on his right heel. Dimmock sighs silently.)_   
SHERLOCK: Oh(!)   
DIMMOCK _(awkwardly)_ : So ...   
SHERLOCK: So either these two men just happened to visit the same Chinese tattoo parlour or I'm telling the truth.   
DIMMOCK _(sighing in resignation)_ : What do you want?   
SHERLOCK: I want every book from Lukis' apartment _and_ Van Coon's.   
DIMMOCK: Their books? **

"What? Is he going to start a book club?" Molly jokes slightly still feeling slightly uncomfortable. A couple people chuckle, smiling over at her. 

**  
_ 221B BAKER STREET.   
_ ** **The boys walk into the living room, taking off their coats. John sits down in his chair; Sherlock remains standing.**

**SHERLOCK: Not just a criminal organisation; it's a cult. Her brother was corrupted by one of its leaders.   
JOHN: Soo Lin said the name.   
SHERLOCK: Yes, Shan; General Shan.   
JOHN: We're still no closer to finding them.   
SHERLOCK: Wrong. We've got almost all we need to know. She gave us most of the missing pieces.   
_(He looks at John, waiting for him to agree. When John says nothing, he impatiently explains.)_   
SHERLOCK: Why did he need to visit his sister? Why did he need _her_ expertise?   
JOHN: She worked at the museum.   
SHERLOCK: Exactly.   
JOHN _(finally catching up)_ : An expert in antiquities. Mmm, of course. I see.   
SHERLOCK: _Valuable_ antiquities, John. Ancient Chinese relics purchased on the black market. China's home to a thousand treasures hidden after Mao's revolution.   
JOHN: And the Black Lotus is selling them. **

"But how can that lead them to the killer?" Mrs. Hudson asks confused.

"If they find what Eddie and Bran were smuggling and where the acution is they can back track and find out where their held," Lestrade responded.

**_(Sherlock tilts his head as he has an idea.)_ **

**Not long afterwards, he is sitting at the dining table surfing Crispians' website for recent auctions, focusing on the auctions of Chinese and other Asian works of art. John is leaning over his shoulder to look at the screen.**

**SHERLOCK _(to himself as he skims through the list)_ : Check for the dates ...   
_(He points to a particular auction lot – two Chinese Ming vases.)_   
SHERLOCK: Here, John.   
JOHN: Mmm.   
SHERLOCK: Arrived from China four days ago.   
_(He runs his finger down the details and looks at the Sale Information at the bottom which includes the statement "Source – Anonymous.")_   
SHERLOCK: Anonymous. Vendor doesn't give his name. Two undiscovered treasures from the East. **

"Only an idiot would give their actual name," Anderson pointed put.

"What like you?" Donovan joked slightly, causing Anderson to frown at her.

**JOHN: One in Lukis' suitcase and one in Van Coon's.   
_(Sherlock moves to the Quest search site and types into the search bar, narrating as he does so, although he actually types the word "Chinese" first.)_   
SHERLOCK: ... antiquities sold at auction.   
_(The results list comes up.)_   
SHERLOCK: Look, here's another one.   
JOHN: Mmm.   
SHERLOCK: Arrived from China a month ago: Chinese ceramic statue, sold four hundred thousand.   
JOHN (consulting Lukis' diary after he spots another entry on the screen): Ah, look: a month before that – a Chinese painting, half a million.   
SHERLOCK: All of them from an anonymous source. They're stealing them back in China and one by one they're feeding them into Britain.   
JOHN: Huh.   
_(He looks at Lukis' diary again and then at the printout of Van Coon's calendar.)_   
JOHN: And every single auction coincides with Lukis or Van Coon travelling to China.   
SHERLOCK: So what if one of them got greedy when they were in China? What if one of them stole something?   
JOHN: That's why Zhi Zhu's come.   
_(Mrs Hudson knocks on the open door of the living room.)_   
MRS HUDSON: Ooh-ooh!   
_(The boys turn to her.)_   
MRS HUDSON: Sorry. Are we collecting for charity, Sherlock?   
SHERLOCK: What?   
MRS HUDSON: A young man's outside with crates of books. **

"You must of been so confused," John murmed, laughing softly. Mrs Hudson nodded smiling slightly.

**Shortly afterwards, two uniformed police officers are carrying in yet another plastic crate to add to the many which have already been dumped in the living room.**

**SHERLOCK: So, the numbers are references.   
JOHN: To books.   
SHERLOCK: To specific pages and specific words on those pages.   
JOHN: Right, so ... fifteen and one: that means ...   
SHERLOCK: Turn to page fifteen and it's the first word you read.   
JOHN: Okay. So what's the message?   
SHERLOCK _(snarkily)_ : Depends on the book. That's the cunning of the book _code_. Has to be one that they both owned.   
_(John looks round despairingly at the many many crates in the room, each either labelled "Van Coon" or "Lukis.")_   
JOHN: Okay, right. Well, this shouldn't take too long, should it?(!) **

**He goes over to the nearest crate and flips open the lid, sighing tiredly when he sees the amount of books inside. Sherlock opens another crate and starts taking out books, looking at the cover of each one. John takes a handful from his crate and carries them over to the dining table and sits down. Dimmock walks in and holds up an evidence bag to Sherlock.**

**DIMMOCK: We found these, at the museum.   
_(He shows the bag to John. It contains the photographs of the cipher which Sherlock had been showing to Soo Lin.)_   
DIMMOCK: Is this your writing? **

"If only I had looked at the writing," John murmed quietly, though almost everyone heard him if the confused looks thrown his way was anything to go by, not that John took any notice.

**JOHN _(taking the bag)_ : Uh, we hoped Soo Lin could decipher it for us. Ta.   
_(Dimmock nods and turns back to Sherlock, who is still unloading his crate.)_   
DIMMOCK: Anything else I can do? To assist you, I mean?   
SHERLOCK _(without looking up)_ : Some silence right now would be marvellous. **

**Dimmock stares at him, then looks across to John, who shakes his head apologetically. Biting his lip and trying not to cry at not being allowed to play with the big boys, Dimmock turns and leaves the room.**

"Poor Dimmock," Molly commented though she her voice was teasing which was sounded weird with her normal nice girl attiuide. 

"Who would want to hang out with the freak anyway?" Donovan commented, frowning slightly when everyone sends annoyed glares at her but no one sent any to Molly.

"Couldn't you guys use another hand?" Lestrade asks, ignoring Donovan, John hums slightly and shrugs but doesn't bother actually answering it.

**Sherlock takes out a book from a crate and realises that he's already got one like it from another crate. He puts them side by side – hard backed copies of Iain Banks' "Transition." Opening one of them to page fifteen, he looks at the first word on the page and then narrates the word in exasperated disappointment.**

**SHERLOCK: "Cigarette."   
_(Slamming the book closed, he puts both versions on top of the pile on the desk.)_   
JOHN: Ah. **

**Sherlock goes back to rummaging through crates while John puts his pile onto the floor and crosses the room to get more books from a crate. Time moves on and later Sherlock finds two more identical books, "Freakonomics," from the two men's collections. He flicks to page fifteen, which is the beginning of a chapter headed "What Do Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common?" Moving down to the first word of the chapter, he reads it and then looks up in frustration.**

"Wouldn't it have been easier to look for a book that they would both have and go from there, removing all the books that no one would have?" Mycroft asked, finally speaking without the usual arrogance. 

"I think he was going the other way, and look for books they both have and then go from their," John replied, trying to think which way would be faster.

**SHERLOCK: "Imagine." **

**Again he dumps the two books on John's pile. Time moves on again and now it's day time. Sherlock has removed his jacket and John has taken off his cardigan but they're still in the same positions we last saw them. Again time moves on and now the daylight is even brighter outside. Books are scattered everywhere over the table and the floor and some of the crates have been shifted about. As Sherlock runs his fingers through his hair and then looks around at the crates and sighs, an alarm goes off on John's watch. He looks at it and then out of the window as if to confirm that it really is the morning. He sighs tiredly and buries his head in his hands.  
**

**_ DOCTORS' SURGERY.    
_ ** **The receptionist looks up apologetically at the first person in a queue of patients waiting to speak to her.**

"What's going on?" Molly asked curiously as they at the long line of patients. John winces slightly fully realising what time this is. But doesn't respond, to embrassed, besides she'll find out.

**RECEPTIONIST: I'm sorry to keep you waiting.   
_(Someone in the queue sighs pointedly.)_   
RECEPTIONIST: But we haven't got anything now 'til next Thursday.   
_(The woman at the front of the queue turns aside with an exasperated look on her face.)_   
WOMAN's VOICE _(offscreen)_ : This is taking ages.   
RECEPTIONIST: Er, sorry.   
_(Sarah Sawyer has been walking through the waiting room but now turns back and comes over to the reception.)_   
WOMAN's VOICE _(offscreen)_ : What's the point of making an appointment if they can't even stick to it?   
SARAH _(to the receptionist)_ : Um, what's going on?   
RECEPTIONIST _(quietly)_ : That new doctor you hired – he hasn't buzzed the intercom for ages. **

"Something tells me staying up all night looking at books isn't a good thing to do," Lestrade jokes and John shuffles in his seat awkwardly.

**SARAH: Let me go and have a word.   
RECEPTIONIST: Yeah, thanks.   
SARAH _(to the queue as she walks away)_ : 'Scuse me.   
RECEPTIONIST _(to the queue)_ : Sorry.   
WOMAN's VOICE _(offscreen)_ : What did she just say?   
_(Sarah goes to John's consulting room and knocks on the door.)_   
SARAH: John?   
_(She waits a few seconds but gets no reply.)_   
SARAH: John? _  
_**

**When there's still no reply, she opens the door and looks inside. John is sitting behind the desk, his head propped up on one fist, and is fast asleep and snoring gently.**

Everyone laughs at the past John, expect the present John who shuffled in his seat, looking extremely uncomfortable and blushing.

**Much later, he comes out of his consulting room putting on his coat and walks over to Sarah who is standing behind the reception desk. He clears his throat awkwardly.**

**JOHN: Um, looks like I'm done. I thought I had some more to see.   
SARAH: Oh, I did one or two of yours.   
JOHN: One or two?   
SARAH: Well, maybe five or six.   
JOHN: I'm sorry. That's not very professional.   
SARAH: No. No, not really.   
JOHN: I had, um, a bit of a late one.   
SARAH: Oh, right.   
JOHN: Anyway, see you.   
_(He turns to walk away.)_   
SARAH: So, um, what were you doing to keep you up so late?   
JOHN _(turning back to her)_ : Uh, I was, er, attending a sort of book event.   
SARAH: Oh. Oh, she likes books, does she, your ... your girlfriend? **

Everyone had kinda stopped laughing at John only to start laughing even harder, making John squirm in his seat yet again.

**_(She looks down fake-nonchalantly.)_   
JOHN: Mmm? No, it wasn't a date.   
SARAH _(too quickly)_ : Good. _(She rapidly tries to cover.)_ I mean, um ...   
JOHN: And I don't have one tonight.   
_(They smile at each other, John looking down almost in disbelief as if thinking, 'Oh good grief, I've just pulled!')  
  
_**

**_ 221B BAKER STREET.  
_ ** **Sherlock is still working on the crates but now tries a different tack.**

**SHERLOCK: A book that everybody would own. **

**He turns to his bookcase and pulls down the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, the Holy Bible and a third book which we can't see the title of. Putting them on top of the nearest crate, he opens the dictionary to the correct page.**

**SHERLOCK: Fifteen. Entry one. **

**The word is "add". He moves on to the last book he took down, which some fantastic research has revealed is called "Syphilis and local contagious disorders" by Berkeley Hill.**

"Why does Sherlock think that 'Syphilis and Local Contagious disorders' is a book that everyone has?" Anderson asks, no one, not even Mycroft could respond to that.

**The first word on page 15 is "nostrils". Putting that aside and flicking to page 15 of the Bible, partway through the Book of Genesis, the first word is "I". As he closes the book, and John's bedroom door slams shut, he props his elbows on the crate and runs his fingers through his hair, ruffling it up. I'm sure this has nothing to do with the imminent arrival of his flatmate, who now walks into the room having changed into clean clothes.**

**SHERLOCK: I need to get some air. We're going out tonight.   
JOHN: Actually, I've, er, got a date.   
_(He smiles smugly.)_   
SHERLOCK: What?   
JOHN: It's where two people who like each other go out and have fun.   
SHERLOCK: That's what _I_ was suggesting. **

Once again everyone starts laughing. Even John laughed, though his was more awkward then actual laughter.

**JOHN: No it wasn't ... at least I _hope_ not.   
SHERLOCK _(looking sulky)_ : Where are you taking her?   
JOHN: Er, cinema.   
SHERLOCK: Oh, dull, boring, predictable.   
_(He has taken a piece of paper from his trouser pocket as he walks across to John, and lowers his head to hide a smug smile before handing it to him.)_   
SHERLOCK: Why don't you try this? **

"Sherlock is being nice, he's up to something," Molly jokes causing everyone to laugh even harder.

**John takes it and looks at the piece of paper, which is the strip of poster that Sherlock tore off the wall during the search for the yellow paint. The poster advertises the Yellow Dragon Circus and gives the telephone number of the Box Office.**

**SHERLOCK: In London for one night only.   
_(John chuckles, then offers the paper back to Sherlock.)_   
JOHN: Thanks, but I don't come to you for dating advice.   
  
_EVENING.  
_** **John and Sarah are walking up the slope towards a building.**

**SARAH: It's _years_ since anyone took me to the circus. **

"What happened to not taking dating advice from Sherlock?" Lestrade teased, struggling not to laugh. 

"I thought it would be nice," John commented embrassed.

**JOHN _(chuckling nervously)_ : Right, yes! Well, it's ... a friend recommended it to me. He phoned up.   
SARAH: Ah. What are they, a touring company or something?   
JOHN: I don't know much about it.   
_(They pause and look at a number of large red Chinese lanterns strung outside the hall.)_   
SARAH: I think they're probably from China!   
JOHN: Yes, I think ... I think so, yes. _(Quietly) There's_ a coincidence(!) **

"Something is defiantly fishy," Molly commented, this time not joking.

**_(They go inside to the Box Office where the manager is giving a customer her tickets.)_   
CUSTOMER: That's wonderful. Thank you very much.   
MANAGER: Okay.   
_(The customer turns and walks up the nearby stairs and John goes over to the office.)_   
JOHN: Hi. I have, er, two tickets reserved for tonight.   
MANAGER: And what's the name?   
JOHN _(taking his wallet from his jacket)_ : Er, Holmes.   
_(The manager rifles through the reservations, then turns back to him with an envelope.)_   
MANAGER: Actually, I have three in that name.   
JOHN: No, I don't think so. We only booked two.   
SHERLOCK _(offscreen)_ : And then I phoned back and got one for myself as well. **

"I feel so sorry for Sarah, having to be a third wheel, on her own date," Mrs Hudson teases causing John to grumble in annoyance.

**_(John looks up in disbelief and turns as Sherlock walks over to them, looking at Sarah. He offers her his hand.)_   
SHERLOCK: I'm Sherlock.   
_(Sarah glances at John momentarily, then turns back to the new arrival and shakes his hand a little nervously. John turns away in exasperation.)_   
SARAH: Er, hi.   
SHERLOCK: Hello. **

**He gives her his fake smile, then instantly turns and walks away.)  
**

**Not long afterwards the boys are standing a few steps up the stairs while people make their way past them. Sarah isn't with them – presumably she has nipped off to the loo. The boys keep their voices down as they talk.**

**JOHN: You couldn't let me have just one night off?   
SHERLOCK: Yellow Dragon Circus, in London for one day. It _fits_. The Tong sent an assassin to England ...   
JOHN: ... dressed as a tightrope walker. Come on, Sherlock, behave!   
SHERLOCK: We're looking for a killer who can climb, who can shin up a rope. Where else would you find that level of dexterity? Exit visas are scarce in China. They need a pretty good reason to get out of that country. Now, all I need to do is have a quick look round the place ...   
JOHN: Fine. You do that; I'm gonna take Sarah for a pint.   
SHERLOCK _(sternly)_ : I need your help.   
JOHN: I do have a couple of other things on my mind this evening!   
SHERLOCK: Like _what_? **

"He's so oblivious, it almost hurts," Donovan commented, suprisingly no malice in her voice finally expecting the fact that Sherlock wasn't faking, at least with that part.

**_(John blinks, staring at him in disbelief.)_   
JOHN: You _are_ kidding.   
SHERLOCK: What's so important?   
JOHN: Sherlock, I'm right in the middle of a date. D'you want me to chase some killer while I'm trying to ...   
_(He breaks off.)_   
SHERLOCK: What?   
JOHN _(losing his patience and talking much louder)_ : ... while I'm trying to get off with Sarah!   
_(And inevitably Sarah comes around the corner at that moment. John turns to her and smiles awkwardly.)_ **

"*cough* awkward *cough*" Anderson 'coughed' causing a lot of people to chuckle.

**JOHN: Heyyy.   
_(Rolling his eyes, Sherlock turns and heads up the stairs.)_   
JOHN _(to Sarah)_ : Ready?   
SARAH: Yeah! **

**They follow Sherlock up the stairs.  
** **In the performance area there's a stage on one side of the large hall and the curtains are closed. However, it seems that the stage is not going to be used: a circle of candles has been laid out in the middle of the floor, about thirty feet in diameter. The room is dimly lit. The patrons are gathering around the circle but there are no seats. Apparently the number of tickets has been limited and there's room for everyone to stand around the circle with a clear view. Sarah and John stand side by side while Sherlock stands behind them with his back to them, looking all around the room and peering up to the ceiling. John talks quietly over his shoulder to his flatmate, turning his head away from Sarah so that she can't hear.**

**JOHN: You said circus. This is _not_ a circus. Look at the size of this crowd. Sherlock, this is ... _(he grimaces with distaste) ... art_. **

Everyone but Mycroft, even John chuckled slightly. "It's their culture," Mycroft tuttered, shaking his head slightly.

**SHERLOCK _(quietly over his shoulder)_ : This is not their day job.   
JOHN: No, sorry, I forgot. They're _not_ a circus; they're a gang of international smugglers. **

**The performance begins with someone tapping out a rhythm on a tiny hand drum. Sherlock turns to face the same way as his companions and John looks over his shoulder at him. Sherlock quirks an eyebrow at him. An ornately costumed Chinese woman with a heavily painted face – traditionally known as the Opera Singer – walks into the centre of the circle and looks imperiously out at the audience before raising a hand in the air. The drummer finishes his riff. The Opera Singer walks across the circle to a large object covered with a cloth which she now pulls back to reveal an antique-looking crossbow on a stand. She picks up a long thick wooden arrow with white feathers at one end and a vicious metal point at the other and shows it to the audience before fitting it into place in the crossbow. Straightening up, she pulls a single small white feather from her headdress and again shows it to the audience. On the rear of the crossbow is a small metal cup and she gently drops the feather into it. Instantly the arrow is released and whizzes across the room. Sherlock's head whips around to follow its flight while John and Sarah are still gasping at the sound of the arrow's release. By the time they look round a moment later, the arrow is embedded in a large painted board on the other side of the circle. Sarah turns to John and laughs, dramatically putting her hand over her heart.  
**

A couple people flinch at the sound of the arrow being realised, and espically Mrs Hudson and Molly gasp.

**Instrumental music begins, and the audience applauds as a new character enters the circle, wearing chainmail and an ornate head mask. He holds his arms out to the sides and two men come over and start to attach heavy chains and straps to him, strapping his now-folded arms in front of him and then backing him up against the board and starting to chain him to it.**

**SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : Classic Chinese escapology act.   
_(John and Sarah turn to him.)_   
JOHN: Hmm?   
SHERLOCK: The crossbow's on a delicate string. The warrior has to escape his bonds before it fires. **

**The Opera Singer loads another arrow into the crossbow. The men attach more padlocks and chains and one of them pulls a chain tight, yanking the warrior's head back against the board. The warrior cries out. The men loop the chains through solid rings attached to the board and secure the warrior, who cries out again. Once they've finished, they step away. The music begins building in intensity and cymbals crash unexpectedly. Sarah jumps, clutching at John's arm.**

**SARAH: Oh, Gawd! I'm sorry! **

**She laughs in embarrassment, taking his arm with her other hand as well. John laughs with her, then smiles delightedly as she lets go with her more distant hand but continues to hold onto his arm with the other. The Opera Singer picks up a small knife and displays it to the audience.**

**SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : She splits the sandbag; the sand pours out; gradually the weight lowers into the bowl. **

"Did he do that the whole time?" Anderson asked, turning to stare at John.

"No," John replies.

**The Opera Singer does just what Sherlock predicted – she reaches up to a small sandbag hanging on a long cable and stabs the knife into the bottom of the sack. Sand begins to pour out, and the warrior repeatedly cries out with effort as he tugs at his chains. The sandbag's cable is looped over a pulley and a metal ball is attached to the other end. As the sand continues to pour out of the bag the weight lowers towards the bowl at the back of the crossbow. The warrior gets one hand free. John is watching the weight lower, and Sarah now looks nervously at it as it crosses paths with the sandbag on its way up. They turn to look at the warrior as he gets his other hand free and starts tugging at the chains around his neck. The weight is now only a few feet above the bowl and Sarah clings tightly to John's arm, grimacing. The warrior cries out again as he pulls at his chains and the weight gets ever closer. As it almost reaches the lip of the bowl the warrior loosens the chains around his neck and struggles to free himself.  
** **The weight touches the bowl and the arrow streaks across the room. With a split second to spare, the warrior pulls free of the chains and ducks down and the arrow thuds into the board. The warrior cries out triumphantly as the audience begins to applaud. Sarah gasps in relief.**

**SARAH: Thank God.   
JOHN: My God! **

**The warrior stands up and takes the applause. Still clapping, John looks over his shoulder, but Sherlock has vanished. John looks around the hall but can't see him anywhere.**

"Where'd Sherlock go?" Lestrade asks.

"He went to go looking around," John grumbled slightly.

**Sherlock has made his way onto the stage, which is being used as the performers' dressing room. There's a dressing table with mirrors, free-standing clothes rails and many other items all around. He looks at everything and notices that it's almost as if another warrior is standing nearby – except that the chainmail and mask are hanging on a stand.  
** **In the performance area, the Opera Singer raises a hand to halt the audience's applause.**

**OPERA SINGER: Ladies and gentlemen, from the distant moonlight shores of the Yangtze River, we present for your pleasure the deadly Chinese bird-spider. **

**As she walks away, a masked acrobat descends from the ceiling, rolling through the air as the broad red band wrapped around his waist unravels. The audience applauds and he stops a couple of feet above the ground, holding his body parallel to the floor.**

"That's the brother isn't it?" Donovan asked, her voice sharp as she remembered how he had killed his own sister, no one replies but then again, no one needed to.

**JOHN _(to Sarah)_ : Did you see that?! **

**Descending to the floor, the acrobat removes the band from around his waist and splits it, revealing that it's made up of two strips of material which he now wraps around his arms and then runs around the circle before taking his weight on the bands, lifting into the air and flying around in a circle several feet above the ground, the red bands soaring out behind him. Sarah and John – and presumably the rest of the audience – stare up open-mouthed.  
**

**On the stage, Sherlock goes over to the curtains and parts them slightly to look out at the performance. He looks with interest at the acrobat as he floats around.**

**SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : Well, well. **

**To the right of the stage, a door opens. Sherlock runs to take cover, pushing through the middle of the clothes on the clothes rail and then quickly spreading the items out again as the Opera Singer comes onto the stage. She goes over to the dressing table and picks up a mobile phone, checking it, but looks round sharply when one of the hangars on the rail falls to the floor. Sherlock ducks down. The Opera Singer walks toward the rail and Sherlock crouches even lower**

"Yes because that would help if actually bothered to look there," Anderson commented, sarcasticasm dripping from his voice.

**But she continues on and leaves the stage. Sherlock looks down and sees a bag on the floor near his feet. Flipping it open, he finds several spray cans inside. He picks up one of them and sees that it is labelled "Michigan." A yellow band is across the bottom of the can denoting the colour of the paint.**

**SHERLOCK _(softly, in a sing-song voice)_ : Found you. **

**Standing up, he pushes through the clothes on the rail and walks over to the mirrors on the dressing table, shaking up the can as he goes. He bends down and sprays a single almost-horizontal yellow line across one of the mirrors. As he looks at it, the warrior's costume behind him starts to move. Frowning, he turns around and realises that the costume is no longer on a stand and now has a man inside it. The man charges forward, lashing out at him repeatedly with a large knife. Sherlock ducks backwards to avoid the blows as the warrior presses forward.  
** **Outside, John and Sarah are still watching the acrobat. On the other side of the circle, the closed curtains on the stage begin to billow in one particular place. John frowns at the curtains for a moment but is then distracted back to the acrobat.  
**

A couple people chuckle slightly, shaking their head as John frowns, silently urging his past self to go looking for Sherlock. Even if it would do nothing.

**On the stage, Sherlock uses the can he's holding as a bit of a weapon, using it to block a blow from the warrior, ducking below the next swing of the man's knife, then clouting the can across the man's elbow. The warrior responds by kicking him hard in the stomach.  
**

**Outside, the acrobat does a dramatic roll down the bands. The audience applauds. Unnoticed, the curtains billow even more.  
** **The warrior grabs Sherlock by the throat but drops his knife in the process. Sherlock lashes the man's hand away from the neck and then sprays the can directly into his masked face before bundling into him and shoving him away firmly. The warrior falls onto his back but uses his momentum to raise his legs and then roll forward and flip to his feet again. He takes a flying leap at Sherlock, spinning as he goes and his feet hit him in the chest. Sherlock is propelled backwards through the curtains, straight over the edge of the stage and onto the floor a few feet below. Crashing onto his back, he struggles to get upright again but is too winded and can't move much as the warrior comes flying out of the curtains and onto the floor in front of him. John is on the move straightaway, running towards the warrior as he raises a knife and prepares to plunge it downwards. John charges straight into him, pushing him back against the edge of the stage but the warrior lashes out with one foot, sending John stumbling across the room.  
** **Nearby, as the audience flees, the acrobat takes off his mask, takes one look at the fight and decides he wants no part of it, running off. Only one person is heading towards the fight and that's Sarah, who has pulled the large arrow from the painted board and comes charging across the hall while John is still stumbling across the floor trying to catch his balance and the warrior heads towards Sherlock who is still lying on the floor winded – and the warrior now has a wide-bladed sword in one hand. As he raises the sword above his head, his concentration focussed on delivering the killing blow to the man at his feet, Sarah races across the floor and slams one end of the arrow over the top of the warrior's head. He cries out in pain and before he can react or retaliate she swings the arrow sideways and smashes it across his ribs. She instantly delivers a second blow to the same area and he falls to the ground, grunting and almost unconscious. **

"GO SARAH!!!" Donvoan, Molly and Mrs. Hudson all yelled happily at the screen, Molly jumping up as she shouts. Everyone chuckles, some quieter then the others.

**As Sarah straightens up, breathless, Sherlock finally gets off his lazy arse sits up and leans forward to the warrior's right foot, pulling off his shoe to reveal a Tong tattoo on his heel. John has finally managed to turn around, though he's almost doubled over in pain and is still trying to catch his breath. As Sherlock scrambles to his feet John grabs Sarah's hand and starts to pull her towards the exit.**

**JOHN _(almost voicelessly)_ : Come on.   
_(Sherlock races off ahead of them.)_   
SHERLOCK: Come on! Let's go!   
  
NEW SCOTLAND YARD.   
D.I. Dimmock storms into the office, followed by the boys and a rather bewildered Sarah. Dimmock is clearly not in a good mood. **

**DIMMOCK: I sent a couple of cars. The old hall is totally deserted.   
SHERLOCK: Look, I saw the mark at the circus – that tattoo that we saw on the two bodies: the mark of the Tong.   
_(Dimmock has reached his desk and has turned to face the others.)_   
JOHN: Lukis and Van Coon were part of a-a smuggling operation. Now, one of them stole something when they were in China; something valuable.   
SHERLOCK: These circus performers were gang members sent here to get it back.   
DIMMOCK: Get _what_ back?   
_(Sherlock bites his lip, looking away angrily.)_   
JOHN _(hesitantly)_ : We don't know.   
DIMMOCK: You don't know.   
_(Sherlock still won't meet his eyes.)_   
DIMMOCK: Mr Holmes ...   
DIMMOCK: I've done everything you asked. Lestrade, he seems to think your advice is worth something.   
_(Sherlock lifts his head and gives a faint but proud smile.)_ **

"Is he proud over the fact that I know to ask Sherlock for help, or the fact that I actually would tell someone that?" Lestrade asks curiously.

"I don't know," John replies frowning. 

"He does consider you one of his few friends, or he will," Mycroft commented adding the last part as he stared at the screen.

**DIMMOCK: I gave the order for a raid. Please tell me I'll have _something_ to show for it – other than a massive bill for overtime. **


	10. The Blind Baker (01x02 part 4/4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

**_ 221B BAKER STREET    
_ ** **Sherlock leads John and Sarah into the living room and immediately stares at the pictures over the fireplace as he takes his coat off.**

**JOHN: They'll be back in China by tomorrow.   
SHERLOCK: No, they won't leave without what they came for. We need to find their hide-out; the rendezvous. **

**He walks closer to the photos, staring at them intensely. John also gazes at the pictures while Sarah hovers nearby, forgotten by the pair of them. Sherlock runs his fingers over the main picture of the painted brick wall.**

**SHERLOCK: Somewhere in this message it _must_ tell us.   
_(He and John fall silent. Sarah looks at them for a moment, then realises that she is surplus to requirements.)_   
SARAH: Well, I think perhaps I should leave you to it.   
JOHN: No, no, you don't have to go ... _(he looks round at Sherlock)_ ... does she? _(He turns back to Sarah.)_ You can stay.   
SHERLOCK _(simultaneously)_ : Yes, it would be better to study if you left now. **

Everyone chuckles at the pair. "I can't believe you expected Sherlock to actually say yes," Lestrade commented, John huffed slightly.

**_(He looks round pointedly at Sarah, while John throws a dark look at him before turning back to her.)_   
JOHN: He's kidding. Please stay if you'd like.   
_(Sarah looks nervously towards Sherlock, who has already turned back to the photographs. She smiles awkwardly and tries what she thinks is a friendly approach.)_   
SARAH: Is it just me, or is anyone else starving? **

"That's literally the worst thing you could say to Sherlock, espically when his doing a case," Molly commented, everyone hummed in agreement, even those who didn't know Sherlock all that well.

**SHERLOCK _(sighing and closing his eyes in exasperation)_ : Ooh, God.   
  
Shortly afterwards, John opens the fridge to find it almost empty apart from a couple of bottles, a can, and what might well be an eyeball lying on a shelf. He sighs.   
In the living room, Sherlock has sat down at the dining table which is covered with photos, notes and drawings of various pictograms. As he rummages through them, Sarah stands nearby, looking at all the pictures stuck to the mirror. **

**SARAH: So this is what you do, you and John. You solve puzzles for a living.   
SHERLOCK _(tetchily, not looking round)_ : Consulting detective. **

"That girl doesn't take a hint does she?" Anderson commented, "It's painstakingly obvious that Sherlock's hates her,"

"A bit like you then," Mrs. Hudson replied, smiling slightly at him to make sure he knew that she was joking.

**SARAH: Oh.   
_(In the kitchen, John is searching through cupboards. He twists the lid off a jar of pickled onions, sniffs the contents and recoils at the smell.)_   
JOHN: Oh! **

**He puts the lid back on and continues his search.  
** **Sarah has walked over to Sherlock and is looking over his shoulder. She points to the paper he's looking at.**

**SARAH: What are these squiggles?   
_(Sherlock raises his head, his face set as if he's trying very hard not to kill her.)_   
SHERLOCK _(still not looking round at her)_ : They're numbers. An ancient Chinese dialect.   
SARAH: Oh, right! Yeah, well, of course I should have known that(!)   
_(In the kitchen John has found a small bag of Wotsits [a brand of cheese puffs] and is emptying them into a bowl. Mrs Hudson comes to the door and speaks quietly.)_   
MRS HUDSON: Ooh-ooh!   
_(John looks up and his face fills with grateful delight as she comes in carrying a tray covered with a tea towel.)_   
MRS HUDSON _(whispering)_ : I've done punch, and a bowl of nibbles. **

"You know, for not being a housekeeper, you have got to be the one in the world," Molly comments, John instantly voices his agreements causing Mrs. Hudson to blush slightly with all the praise.

**She puts the tray on the table and takes off the tea towel to reveal a jug of punch with slices of fruit floating on top, two glasses, a bowl of crisps and another bowl presumably containing some dip.**

**JOHN _(softly)_ : Mrs Hudson, you're a _saint_!   
MRS HUDSON _(whispering)_ : If it was Monday, I'd have been to the supermarket!   
JOHN _(whispering)_ : No; thank you! _Thank_ you! **

**Back in the living room, Sherlock is just about to commit murder as Sarah picks up the photograph of the brick wall which Dimmock had brought back sealed in an evidence bag. He glares at her in utter fury and then turns his head away, his teeth bared.**

**SARAH _(oblivious to his rage)_ : So these numbers – it's a cipher. **

"How can she be so oblivious to the raging person in front of her?" Anderson asks.

"Maybe she could but she just wanted to be nice to the freak," Donovan replied, disbleif filling her voice towards the end.

**SHERLOCK _(tightly)_ : Exactly.   
SARAH: And each pair of numbers is a word.   
_(Sherlock's head slowly lifts.)_   
SHERLOCK: How did you know that?   
_(For the first time he turns and meets her eyes.)_   
SARAH: Well, two words have already been translated, here.   
_(She puts the picture down on the desk and points. Sherlock takes the photo from her and stares at it.)_   
SHERLOCK: John.   
JOHN: Mmm?   
_(He looks round from the kitchen table.)_   
SHERLOCK _(standing up)_ : John, look at this.   
_(He takes the photo out of the evidence bag as John comes out of the kitchen.)_   
SHERLOCK: Soo Lin at the museum – she started to translate the code for us. We didn't see it! **

"I'm honestly suprised we didn't notice it before," John commented, a couple people hum in reponse. 

**_(Written in fine pen, a word has been written across each of the first two sets of symbols on the photograph. Sherlock reads them out.)_   
SHERLOCK: "NINE," "MILL."   
JOHN _(squinting at the photo)_ : Does that mean 'millions'?   
SHERLOCK _(thoughtfully)_ : Nine million quid. For what?   
_(He turns and goes over to where he had dumped his coat and scarf.)_   
SHERLOCK: We need to know the end of this sentence.   
JOHN: Where are you going?   
SHERLOCK _(putting on his coat)_ : To the museum; to the restoration room.   
**

**_(He grimaces in exasperation at himself.)  
_ **

**SHERLOCK: Oh, we must have been staring right at it!   
**

**JOHN: At-at what?   
** **SHERLOCK: The _book_ , John. The _book_ – the key to cracking the cipher!   
**

**_(He brandishes the photo at John.)  
_ **

**SHERLOCK: Soo Lin used it to do this! Whilst we were running around the gallery, she ** **started to translate the code. It must be on her desk.**

**And he's gone, hurrying out the door.**

"Do you think the museum would actually let him back in, espically at night?" Molly asks, causing John to frown in thought before shrugging not really having an answer her.

**Out on Baker Street, a man and woman are walking along the road. Obviously tourists, they are consulting the London A-Z and looking around. Sherlock bursts out of the door of 221B, running towards the kerb to hail a passing black cab.**

**SHERLOCK: Taxi!   
_(As he sweeps past the tourists, he brushes past hard enough to break the man's hold on the book, which falls to the ground. The man yells at him indignantly in German.)_   
TOURIST: Hey, du! Siehst du nicht wo du hingehst? **

"What did he say?" Anderson asked, and anyone who didn't know German looked confused, which was everyone but Mycroft.

"'Hey, you! Why don't you look where you're going?' Is what he said," Mycroft replied causing everyone to hum.

**_(Sherlock turns back and picks up the book, handing it back to the man.)_   
SHERLOCK: Entschuldigen Sie, bitte.**

"Forgive me, please" Mycroft translated after half the people around him gave Mycroft a pleading look.

**T OURIST _(snarkily, snatching the book back)_ : Ja, danke(!) **

"Yeah, thanks" Mycroft translated before anyone could ask.

**_(He turns away, putting his arm around his wife and still bitching.)_   
TOURIST: Und dann sagen die, dass die Engländer höflich sind! **

"And they say the English are polite!" Mycroft once again though this time his voice is slightly sharp.

"What the hell is he talking about?!? Sherlock was super polite!" Molly yells in annoyance.

"Somehow," 

**Sherlock turns and raises his arm to the cab again but it has already driven past. He grunts in exasperation and walks down the road, looking over his shoulder to check traffic coming from behind him. After a few yards, he stop and turns back again, grunting angrily a second time when no cabs magically materialise for him. Looking up and down the road, he sees an Asian couple, possibly father and daughter, standing at the corner over the road and consulting an A-Z as they too try to work out their route. Sherlock's eyes narrow, and he flashes back in his mind to walking across Lukis' living room and looking at a pile of books and papers on a table. The London A-Z was the top book on the pile. He flashes back further into the past and remembers seeing a pile of books in Van Coon's living room. The third book down on the pile was the London A-Z. Then he remembers turning around from the crates in his own living room and staring at his bookcase.**

**SHERLOCK _(in flashback)_ : A book that everybody would own. _  
_**

"Well, not everyone would own a London A-Z espically if their local," Donovan pointed out.

"But that's why it's so clever, it would be harder for a local to figure it out," Lestrade also pointed out.

**His memories move on to him smiling at Soo Lin after he handed her the teapot in the restoration room. On the table was a London A-Z.  
**

**In the present, Sherlock's mouth opens in startled realisation and he breaks into a run, chasing back towards the German couple.**

**SHERLOCK _(shouting)_ : Please, wait! ** **Bitte!**

"Please," Mycroft once again translated.

**_(The tourists turn back and frown in confusion as he hurries toward them.)_   
MALE TOURIST: Was wollt er? Was _will_ er? **

"The first part doesn't make it any sense, but the second part is 'What does he want'"

**_(Sherlock runs up to them and snatches the A-Z from the man's hands and turns away, looking down at the book.)_   
TOURIST: Hey, du! Was macht du? **

"Hey, you! What are you doing?" 

"Isn't it obvious?" Molly asks almost sarcastically.

**SHERLOCK _(turning back to him momentarily)_ : Minute! **

" _This loosely translates as;_ Wait a minute!" Mycroft informed them.

**TOURIST _(angrily)_ : Gib mir doch mein Buch zurück! **

"Give me back my book!"

**Ignoring him, Sherlock turns his back on the couple again and opens the book. Waving his hand in exasperation at the crazy Englander, the man puts his arm around his wife and they walk away.**

"I almost feel sorry for them," Mrs. Hudson commented.

**Upstairs in 221B, John and Sarah have relocated to the kitchen. John is sitting at the side table and Sarah is standing nearby.**

**SARAH: Yeah! No, absolutely. I mean, well, a quiet night in's just-just what the doctor ordered.   
JOHN _(softly)_ : Ha-ha-ha(!)   
SARAH: Er, I mean, I'd love to go out of an evening and wrestle a few Chinese gangsters, you know, generally, but a girl can get too much.   
_(John has been giggling silently as she speaks and now he nods in agreement.)_   
JOHN: No, okay.   
_(They smile at each other, then she looks away, laughing in embarrassment.)_   
JOHN: Hmm. Um, shall we get a takeaway?   
SARAH: Yeah!   
_(John nods and gets up to find a menu.)_**

"That was so cringy," Lestrade commented, almost teasingly.

**On the street, Sherlock is flicking through the pages of the A-Z.**

**SHERLOCK: Page fifteen, entry one. Page fifteen, entry one ...   
_(He has turned to the correct page and looks at the first entry on that index page. It reads "Deadmans Lane NW9." He lifts his head.)_   
SHERLOCK: Dead man. You _were_ threatening to kill them.   
_(He flashes back to the message sprayed across Sir William's office, across the library shelf and across the statue in the library.)_   
SHERLOCK: It's the first cipher. **

"You know I was wondering, if what that word would be, I mean how can you threathen someone with only one word," Anderson commented, a couple people laugh quietly but in the end they all, even Mycroft had to agree.

**He takes the photograph of the message sprayed on the brick wall out of his coat pocket and unfolds it. With the first two words already translated, he looks at the third pair of symbols and then starts flicking to the correct page in the book.**

**SHERLOCK: Thirty-seven, nine; thirty-seven, nine ...   
(The appropriate entry on that page reads "Fore St EC2." Sherlock gets out a pen and writes "FOR" over the relevant symbols on the photo.)   
SHERLOCK: Nine mill ... for ...   
  
In the kitchen, Sarah has sat down on the seat that John vacated and is taking off her jacket. John has picked up the jug of punch and is filling the glasses. Someone knocks on the front door downstairs. **

**JOHN: Ooh, blimey, that was quick. I'll just pop down.   
_(He hands her one of the glasses as he walks towards the kitchen door.)_   
SARAH: Do you want me to lay the table?   
_(John looks round at the kitchen table which is covered with Sherlock's paperwork and experiments.)_ **

"Where do you normally eat?" Molly asks.

"We normally just eat out or Mrs. Hudson and I make Sherlock clean the table," John informs her, sighing quietly, "Whenever Sherlock actually eats that is,"

**JOHN: Um, eat off trays?   
SARAH: Yeah.   
JOHN: Yeah!   
  
On the street, Sherlock is still translating the symbols.**

**SHERLOCK: Sixty, thirty-five. _  
(On the relevant page, the appropriate entry reads "Jade Cl. E16.")_   
SHERLOCK: Jade. _(He writes on the photograph as he says the word again.)_ Jade.   
  
John opens the front door and smiles at the man standing on the doorstep, who is wearing a jacket with the hood pulled up. **

**JOHN: Sorry to keep you. _(Rummaging in his trouser pocket)_ How much d'you want?**

"Did you really think that he was a delivery guy? He has no food with him," Lestrade asked, amusement dancing in his eyes. 

"I... don't really know what I was thinking," John grumbled sheepishly.

**CHINESE MAN: Do you have it?   
JOHN _(looking around blankly)_ : What?   
CHINESE MAN: Do you have the treasure?   
JOHN: I don't understand.   
_(The man coshes John around the left side of his head with a pistol. John falls to the floor.)_**

"JOHN!" Molly can't help but yell, her eyes flickering back to John as if trying to reassure herself that John was safe.

**On the street, Sherlock turns to the page for the final word. Finding the correct entry, he writes "TRAMWAY" onto the photograph and then reads the whole message aloud.**

**SHERLOCK: "NINE MILL FOR JADE PIN DRAGON DEN BLACK ... _(he raises his head and stares ahead of him)_ ... TRAMWAY."   
  
In the kitchen of the flat there's no sign of Sarah. The overhead suspended neon light is swaying gently back and forth. Two trays are on the table, each containing a clean plate, cutlery and a glass of punch. Downstairs, the front door slams and Sherlock's voice can be heard. **

**SHERLOCK: John! John! I've got it!   
_(He runs in through the kitchen door, sees nobody there and runs into the living room, brandishing the A-Z.)_   
** **SHERLOCK: The cipher! The book! It's the London A to Z that they're using... **

"Did he really not notice, the freak was right outside!" Donovan snarled. John, Mycroft and Mrs. Hudson all glare at the girl but they don't have any comebacks at they were wondering the same thing.

**He trails off before he can finish the last word, staring in shock when he sees that yellow paint has been sprayed across the living room windows. On the left-hand window is the sort-of upside down eight with an almost horizontal line above it. On the right-hand window is the single almost horizontal slash. Together they spell out "DEAD MAN." There is no sign of John or Sarah. Sherlock stares at the paint in horror.**

**John regains consciousness sitting on a chair somewhere dark. A fire is burning in a dustbin behind him. He slowly raises his head. There is a bleeding cut on his left temple. As he grimaces in pain, the voice of the Opera Singer comes out of the dim tunnel in front of him.**

"Oh John," Mrs. Hudson and Molly both whispered, Mrs Hudson gently squeezing John's hand.

**OPERA SINGER: "A book is like a magic garden carried in your pocket." **

**Wincing, John turns his head to the left and sees Sarah sitting on another chair with a gag in her mouth. She looks round to him, terrified. Ahead of them is the Chinese woman who he saw photographing him and who was watching him and Sherlock on Hungerford Bridge. Despite the darkness she is still wearing her dark sunglasses. She walks towards him and we now see that they are in an abandoned tunnel. There are two Chinese men standing behind the approaching woman, and a couple of other fires are burning to illuminate the area. A few feet ahead of where John and Sarah are tied to their chairs by their hands and feet is a large object covered with cloth. The woman raises her sunglasses to the top of her head and looks down at John.**

**OPERA SINGER: Chinese proverb, Mr Holmes. **

"Wait, does she think-?" Anderson trails of as he notices the look on John's face, after a few seconds of silence, everyone but Mycroft bursts out laughing, they just couldn't help it. None of them notice the screen pausing as until they had managed to finish laughing, or at least get their laughter under control.

**_(John looks at her, startled.)_   
JOHN: I ... I'm not Sherlock Holmes.   
OPERA SINGER _(smiling humourlessly)_ : Forgive me if I do not take your word for it.   
_(She reaches down and pulls open his jacket, rummaging in the inside pocket.)_   
JOHN: Ow. Ow.   
_(She takes out his wallet, opens it and takes something out of it.)_   
OPERA SINGER: Debit card, name of S. Holmes.   
_(Flashback to Sherlock sitting in the living room after John's return without the shopping.)_   
SHERLOCK _(in flashback)_ : Take my card.   
JOHN: Yes; that's not actually mine. He lent that to me.   
OPERA SINGER _(looking in the wallet again)_ : A cheque for five thousand pounds made out in the name of Mr Sherlock Holmes.   
_(Flashback to John taking the cheque from Sebastian.)_   
JOHN: Yeah, he gave me that to look after.   
OPERA SINGER _(finding something else in the wallet)_ : Tickets from the theatre, collected by you, name of Holmes.   
JOHN: Yes, okay ...   
_(Flashback to John and Sarah at the Box Office of the theatre.)_   
MANAGER (in flashback): What's the name?   
JOHN _(in flashback)_ : Uh, Holmes.   
**

**JOHN _(in the present)_ : I realise what this looks like, but I'm not him.   
**

**OPERA SINGER: We heard it from your own mouth.   
**

**JOHN: What?   
**

**OPERA SINGER: "I am Sherlock Holmes and I always work alone ..."   
**

**_(Flashback to John outside Soo Lin's flat, storming back to the door and shouting through the letterbox.)  
_ **

**JOHN _(in flashback)_ : "... because no-one else can compete with my MASSIVE INTELLECT!"   
**

**_(John stares ahead of himself in disbelief.)_ **

"This is why you don't make fun of people," John grumbled in annoyance.

"Karma is a bitch,

**JOHN: Did I really say that? **

"Yes, yes you did," Anderson decided to answer, mostly just to annoy the present day John.

**_(He chuckles weakly, then lowers his head in pain.)_   
JOHN: I s'ppose there's no use me trying to persuade you I was doing an impression.  
 _(Before he can finish the sentence, the woman raises a small pistol and points it at his head. John cringes away from it, blowing out a panicked breath. The woman grins.)_   
OPERA SINGER: I am Shan.   
_(John stares up at her.)_   
JOHN: You're ... _you're_ Shan.   
OPERA SINGER/SHAN: Three times we tried to kill you and your companion, Mr Holmes. What does it tell you when an assassin cannot shoot straight? **

"They're not trying," Mycroft couldn't help but comment, sounding a lot like a prick, which is normal. 

**She lifts her other hand and cocks the pistol. John cringes back, turning his head away and whispering, "Don't, don't," as he struggles against his bonds. Shan looks down at him and her expression becomes ominous. John breathes out heavily as her finger tightens on the trigger. John stares into the barrel of the gun, his face full of terror as she pulls the trigger all the way. The gun clicks. John grunts in shock, and Shan smiles smugly.**

**SHAN: It tells you that they're not really trying.   
_(John breathes heavily, trying to get control of himself.)  
_**

**_221B BAKER STREET.   
_ **

**Sherlock hurries over to the bookcase.**

**SHERLOCK: Tramway.   
_(As if he has lost control of his usual razor-sharp brain in his fear for his friend, he stares at the books on the shelf for a few moments while he tries to find what he wants.)_   
SHERLOCK _(faintly, under his breath)_ : Oh, Christ. **

"You know, times like these just proves it. That Sherlock actually does have a heart," Lestrade jokes, John snorts, but none the less hums in agreement. 

**_(Finally he finds and pulls out a folding map of London. Turning back to the dining table, he unfolds the map and spreads it out, running his finger over it until he stabs it down.)_   
SHERLOCK: There.   
_(He turns and heads out of the door.)_**

**_ TRAMWAY TUNNEL.    
_ **

**Shan slides a clip into the pistol and then cocks it before pointing it at John's head a second time. John cringes away from it.**

**SHAN: Not blank bullets now. **

"But... they weren't blanks the gun was empty," Anderson questions.

"Who knows, maybe she mucked up the translation," Molly answers.

**JOHN _(breathily)_ : Okay.   
SHAN: If we wanted to kill you, Mr Holmes, we would have done it by now. We just wanted to make you inquisitive.   
_(She looks at him sternly.)_   
SHAN: Do you have it?   
JOHN: Do I have what?   
SHAN: The treasure.   
JOHN: I don't know what you're talking about.   
SHAN _(turning away)_ : I would prefer to make certain. **

**She looks at her men, one of whom now pulls the cover off the large object to reveal the crossbow which was used at the circus. An arrow is already loaded in it. John stares at it and sighs deeply. Shan turns back to him.**

**SHAN: Everything in the West has its price; **

"Unfortuantly that's so true," Mrs. Hudson murmurs quietly. 

**SHAN: and the price for _her_ life ...   
_(John turns and stares at Sarah.)_   
SHAN: ... information.   
_(The two men walk over and pick up Sarah's chair. She cries out repeatedly through her gag as they carry her towards the crossbow.)_   
JOHN _(anguished, under his breath)_ : Sorry. I'm sorry. **

**The men set down the chair on the other side of the crossbow, leaving Sarah facing the arrow tip and directly in line with it. She stares at it, crying and tugging in vain at the ropes tying her to the chair. Shan glares down at John.**

**SHAN: Where's the hairpin?   
JOHN _(tugging at his own bonds in spite of the pistol aimed at him)_ : What?   
SHAN: The Empress pin valued at nine million sterling. We already had a buyer in the West; and then one of our people was greedy. He took it, brought it back to London and you, Mr Holmes, have been searching. **

"When did the freak ever start looking for the pin? I thought he was just looking for the murderer," Donovan asked.

" _Sherlock_ was looking for the murderer but she probably thought he was," Anderson replied, stressing the word Sherlock with a pointed look.

**JOHN: Please. Please, listen to me. I'm not ... I'm not Sherlock Holmes. You _have_ to believe me. I haven't found whatever it is you're looking for.   
SHAN _(loudly)_ : I need a volunteer from the audience!   
JOHN _(desperately)_ : No, please. _Please_.   
SHAN _(walking towards Sarah)_ : Ah, thank you, lady. Yes, you'll do very nicely. **

**Sarah wails through her gag, tugging desperately at her ropes. Shan smiles, takes out a knife and reaches up to a nearby sandbag suspended over a pulley hanging from the ceiling. She stabs the knife into the bag and sand begins to pour out. Sarah continues to wail as John sighs out an appalled breath and stares up at the bag in horror.**

**Sherlock is in the back of a taxi, looking around anxiously as the cab progresses through the streets.  
**

"He really does care," Lestrade murmers, more speaking to himself than anyone else. Donovan frowns slightly, the guilt that had been pretty much silent slowly started to make itself more known as she started seeing Sherlock's... more human side.

**Shan smiles and looks around at her audience.**

**SHAN: Ladies and gentlemen. From the distant moonlit shores of NW1, we present for your pleasure Sherlock Holmes' pretty companion in a death-defying act.   
JOHN: _Please!  
(Shan has walked over to Sarah and now places a black origami lotus flower on her lap.)_   
SHAN: You've seen the act before. How dull for you. You know how it ends.   
JOHN _(frantically)_ : _I'm not Sherlock Holmes!_   
SHAN: I don't believe you.   
SHERLOCK _(offscreen)_ : You should, you know.   
_(Shan spins around as a familiar silhouette appears at the far end of the tunnel.)_   
SHERLOCK: Sherlock Holmes is nothing at all like him. **

"Of course, his entry is dramatic and cool," Anderson comments, causing a couple people to chuckle.

**Shan raises her pistol, cocks it and aims it towards him. He immediately dodges to the side of the tunnel, disappearing into the shadows. One of Shan's thugs starts to hurry towards the end of the tunnel.**

**SHERLOCK's VOICE _(from the darkness, as John sighs out a half-relieved, half-exasperated breath)_ : How would _you_ describe me, John? Resourceful? Dynamic? Enigmatic?   
JOHN _(tetchily)_ : Late? **

"When did you expect he would come?" Molly asks.

"Umm... I half didn't expect him to come," John grins slightly sheepishly, shrugging slightly.

"Are you always the damsel in distress John?" Mycroft asks, almost teasingly, which has to be impossible and most likely imagined. 

**SHERLOCK's VOICE _(from the darkness)_ : That's a semi-automatic. If you fire it, the bullet will travel at over a thousand metres per second.   
SHAN _(still aiming her pistol towards the shadows)_ : Well?   
SHERLOCK's VOICE _(from the darkness)_ : Well ... **

**The thug has reached a large storage container standing at the side of the tunnel. Sherlock runs out from behind it and thwacks the man across the stomach with a metal pipe. The man grunts and collapses to the ground. Sherlock immediately ducks back into the shadows.**

**SHERLOCK's VOICE _(quick fire, from the darkness)_ : ... the radius curvature of these walls is nearly four metres. If you miss, the bullet will ricochet. Could hit _anyone_. Might even bounce off the tunnel and hit _you._**

**He bursts out of the darkness and runs to the nearby burning dustbin, kicking it over. John flinches at the loud crash and Shan's eyes widen when she realises that it's now even more impossible to see that area of the tunnel. John peers into the darkness, trying to see how close his friend is. Sherlock reappears just behind Sarah and squats down behind her, starting to untie her bonds. However, the other man – who turns out to be Liang, Soo Lin's brother – runs over to him and loops a long red scarf around his throat a couple of times. Sherlock cries out and stands up, tugging at the part of the scarf around his neck as Liang pulls it tight. While they struggle, Sarah looks at them for a moment and then turns back to stare at the arrowhead pointed directly at her. She lifts her gaze to the sandbag, which is just passing the counterbalanced weight on its way down towards the metal cup on the crossbow.  
**

**Behind her, Sherlock has shaken off Liang for a moment and again crouches to Sarah's bonds. Liang hurries forward and swings another loop of the scarf around Sherlock's neck and again starts pulling him away.  
**

"What is with these people and strangling Sherlock?" 

**As the men continue to struggle, John realises that Sherlock isn't going to get free in time. He struggles to stand, which is almost impossible with his hands tied in front of him and attached tightly to the underside of the chair, and his ankles tied to the legs of the chair. Nevertheless he manages to stumble forward a couple of paces, half-carrying and half-dragging the chair with him, before he loses his balance and falls onto his side.  
**

**Liang swings yet another loop of the scarf around Sherlock's neck. Sarah gazes up at the descending metal ball while the men behind her continue to struggle and John thrashes on the floor. Her eyes drop to the arrowhead again as the ball continues relentlessly downwards. Her eyes full of tears, her gaze locks onto her imminent death and all hope begins to fade from her expression.  
**

**Flailing and groaning with the effort, John manages to squirm around on the floor and finally gets one foot free enough to kick it upwards and connect with a part of the crossbow. The crossbow shifts position, twisting slightly to the left just as the ball connects with the cup. The arrow is released and flies across the tunnel ... and buries itself in Liang's stomach. He grunts, then straightens up, his face full of shock. He groans breathily for a moment, then slowly topples to the floor.  
**

"That was lucky, it could have been Sherlock who was shot," Lestrade commented, John paled slightly at the thought.

**Gasping for breath, Sherlock stands up and looks around. Distant running footsteps can be heard – General Shan is leaving the building. He looks in the direction of the sound as if considering following, but Sarah's anguished muffled sobs distract him and he unloops the red scarf from around his neck and then drops to his knees beside her.**

**SHERLOCK _(soothingly)_ : It's all right.   
_(On the floor, John groans as he struggles to get up onto his elbows. Sherlock unties Sarah's gag and takes it from her mouth.)_   
SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : You're gonna be all right. It's over now. It's over. **

"I thought he hated her," Molly said, thought it was more of a question than a statement. 

"He can be compassionate when it matters," Mrs. Hudson murmed and both her and John both smile slightly, espically John.

**_(Stroking his hands comfortingly down her arms, he then bends down to untie the ropes. She begins to sob as John looks up at her from the floor. He smiles wearily.)_   
JOHN: Don't worry. Next date won't be like this. **

"Why would you ever think she would keep dating you after that! I'm surpised she's not scarred for life!" Donovan yelled, John frowns but doesn't answer.

**She continues to sob as Sherlock straightens up and stands behind her, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He looks down the tunnel wistfully.  
**

**Later, the police have arrived to clear up the mess. Dimmock is waiting beside a police car just outside the tunnel as John puts his arm around Sarah's shoulders [she's wearing a shock blanket, John; she's fine] and walks her away. Sherlock is just behind them and stops to talk to the inspector.**

**SHERLOCK: We'll just slip off. No need to mention us in your report.   
DIMMOCK: Mr Holmes ...   
SHERLOCK: I have high hopes for you, Inspector. A glittering career.   
DIMMOCK: I go where you point me.   
SHERLOCK _(walking away)_ : Exactly.   
_(Dimmock turns and watches him leave. He smiles ruefully.)_**

Lestrade sighs slightly, shaking his head. Feeling slightly useless about that.

**_ MORNING. 221B BAKER STREET.   
_ ** **In the kitchen, John is sitting at the table while Sherlock stands next to him and pours him a mug of tea from a teapot.**

**JOHN: Ta.   
_(He is looking at the translated message on the photograph.)_   
JOHN: So, "Nine mill ..."   
SHERLOCK _(pouring himself a mug of tea)_ : Million.   
JOHN: Million, yes; "Nine million for jade pin. Dragon den, black Tramway."   
SHERLOCK: An instruction to all their London operatives.   
JOHN: Mmm.   
SHERLOCK: A message; what they were trying to reclaim.   
JOHN: What, a jade pin?   
SHERLOCK: Worth nine million pounds. Bring it to the Tramway, their London hideout.   
JOHN: Hang on: a _hairpin_ worth nine million pounds?   
SHERLOCK: Apparently.   
JOHN: Why so much?   
** **SHERLOCK: Depends who owned it. **

"Or where they found it, or how much historic value or what metals are in it," Mycroft added.

**  
SHAD SANDERSON BANK.  
The boys are walking towards the entrance to the bank. **

**SHERLOCK: Two operatives based in London. They travel over to Dalian to smuggle those vases. One of them helps himself to something: a little hairpin.   
JOHN: Worth nine million pounds.   
SHERLOCK: Eddie Van Coon was the thief. _He_ stole the treasure when he was in China.   
JOHN: How d'you know it was Van Coon, not Lukis? Even the killer didn't know that.   
SHERLOCK _(going through the revolving doors)_ : Because of the soap. **

**He looks round smugly at John, who stops and stares back at him blankly for a moment before following him into the bank.  
**

**Upstairs, Van Coon's P.A. Amanda is sitting at her desk. She squirts a bit of hand lotion from the pump-action bottle on the desk and rubs it into her hands. Her phone rings and she picks it up and answers it.**

**AMANDA: Amanda.   
SHERLOCK's VOICE _(over the phone)_ : He bought you a present.   
AMANDA: Oh. Hello.   
SHERLOCK's VOICE _(over the phone)_ : A little gift when he came back from China.   
AMANDA: How do you know that?   
SHERLOCK _(from behind her)_ : You weren't just his P.A., were you? **

"Why call her if your just going to show up behind her in the middle of said call?" Anderson asked.

"Why does Sherlock do anything," Molly adds, though her words somehow answers Anderson's question as no one says anything else.

**_(She turns in surprise as he walks around to the side of the desk, switching off his phone and putting it back into his pocket.)_   
AMANDA _(switching off her own phone and putting it down)_ : Someone's been gossiping.   
SHERLOCK: No.   
AMANDA: Then I don't understand. Why ...?   
SHERLOCK _(interrupting)_ : Scented hand soap in his apartment.   
_(Brief flashback to Sherlock looking into Van Coon's bathroom and seeing a pump-action bottle of luxury hand wash on the shelf.)_   
SHERLOCK: Three hundred millilitres of it. Bottle almost finished.   
AMANDA _(frowning in confusion)_ : Sorry?   
SHERLOCK: I don't think Eddie Van Coon was the type of chap to buy himself hand soap – not unless he had a lady coming over. And it's the same brand as that hand cream there on your desk. **

"So that's how he knew," Molly murmed, saying what half of them where thinking of. 

**_(Amanda momentarily looks down awkwardly.)_   
AMANDA: Look, it wasn't serious between us. It was over in a flash. It couldn't last – he was my boss.   
SHERLOCK: What happened? Why did you end it?   
AMANDA _(sadly)_ : I thought he didn't appreciate me. Took me for granted. Stood me up once too often – we'd plan to go away for the weekend and then he'd just leave; fly off to China at a moment's notice.   
SHERLOCK: And he brought you a present from abroad to say sorry.   
_(His gaze is focussed on a small green jade hairpin in her hair.)_   
SHERLOCK: Can I ... just have a look at it?   
_(He holds out his hand.)_**

**In Sebastian's office, Seb is signing a cheque for £20,000. He looks up at John who is standing at the other side of the desk.**

**SEBASTIAN: He really climbed up onto the balcony?   
_(He puts the cheque into an envelope.)_   
JOHN: Nail a plank across the window and all your problems are over.   
_(Looking peeved, Sebastian holds out the envelope to John.)_   
JOHN: Thanks. **

A couple people, mainly, John, Molly, Lestrade and Mrs. Hudson all snicker at Sebastian's annoyed look.

**Outside, Amanda is holding her hair in place with one hand while she takes out the pin with the other.**

**AMANDA: Said he bought it in a street market.   
_(She puts the pin into Sherlock's outstretched hand.)_   
SHERLOCK: Oh, I don't think _that's_ true. I think he pinched it.   
AMANDA _(chuckling ruefully)_ : Yeah, that's Eddie.   
SHERLOCK: Didn't know its value; just thought it would suit you.   
AMANDA: Oh? What's it worth?   
_(Sherlock smirks.)_   
SHERLOCK _(slowly)_ : Nine ... million ... pounds.   
_(Amanda's face fills with shock.)_   
AMANDA: Oh my God!   
_(She stumbles to her feet and staggers backwards as Sherlock grins.)_   
AMANDA: Oh my G...   
_(She turns and runs away.)_   
AMANDA _(high-pitched and hysterical)_ : Nine million! **

Everyone, expect Mycroft of course, laughs as Amanda runs around the office.

**_(In Sebastian's office, John turns his head at the sound of her voice, then turns back and nods to Sebastian before leaving the room.)  
  
_ **

**_NEXT MORNING (or possibly the day after that)._  
Sherlock, wearing a dressing gown over his shirt and trousers, is sitting at the dining table while John sits opposite him. Sherlock is looking at the front page of the Sunday Express, where the headline reads, "Who wants to be a million-hair." He folds the paper in half, puts it down and picks up another newspaper. **

**JOHN: Over a thousand years old and it's sitting on her bedside table every night.   
SHERLOCK: He didn't know its value; didn't know why they were chasing him.   
JOHN: Hmm. Should've just got her a lucky cat.   
_(Sherlock smiles at him briefly, then looks away.)_   
SHERLOCK: Hmm.   
_(His gaze becomes distant. John looks at him closely.)_   
JOHN: You _mind_ , don't you?   
SHERLOCK _(looking at him)_ : What?   
JOHN: That she escaped – General Shan. It's not enough that we got her two henchmen.   
SHERLOCK: It must be a vast network, John; thousands of operatives. You and I, we barely scratched the surface.   
JOHN: You cracked the code, though, Sherlock; and maybe Dimmock can track down all of them now that _he_ knows it.   
SHERLOCK: No. No. I cracked _this_ code; all the smugglers have to do is pick up another book. **

"The best and worst part about the code," Lestrade sighs as he speaks, shaking his head in despair. "But at least now we know about it,"

**He opens his newspaper and lifts it, beginning to read. John's eyes drift over to the window, and he frowns and looks closely as a young man in a hooded jacket and wearing a cap walks over to a tall black box on the other side of the road which dispenses parking permits. Putting a bag on the ground, the young man looks around in all directions to make sure he's not being watched, then lifts a spray can in his right hand and sprays his tag on the back of the box. John watches while the 'artist' finishes the tag, picks up his bag and hurries away. As Sherlock, oblivious to this, continues to read his paper, John looks thoughtful, and a police car sirens its way down the road.**

"Did you ever tell Sherlock about that?" Molly asks, John frowns slightly trying to think back.

"Uh, no but I don't know if he ever saw it or not,"

**In a room somewhere, Shan is sitting at a desk and talking to someone over a computer. Her live image is being transmitted to the other person but the space on the screen which should be showing the face of whoever she's talking to is marked "No image available." There is also a text box on the screen which shows that the person to whom she's talking is indicated simply as "M". Shan sounds very humble as she speaks.**

"Do you think that this is Mycroft?" Anderson asked, eyeing the screen warily. 

**SHAN: Without you – without your assistance – we would not have found passage into London. You have my thanks.   
** **_(The other person's response appears typed on the screen:  
_ **

**M: GRATITUDE IS MEANINGLESS   
**

**M: IT IS ONLY THE EXPECTATION OF FURTHER FAVOURS  
**

**_The computer beeps to indicate that the message has finished.)_   
**

**SHAN: We did not anticipate ... we did not know this man would come – this Sherlock Holmes.   
**

**_(Her face fills with concern.)  
_ **

**SHAN: And now your safety is compromised.   
**

**_(The computer beeps and new text appears:  
_ **

**M: THEY CANNOT TRACE THIS BACK TO ME  
** **_The computer beeps.)_   
** **SHAN _(sincerely)_ : I will not reveal your identity.  
**

**_(The computer beeps.)  
_ **

**M: I AM CERTAIN.  
**

**The computer beeps. Unseen by Shan, the red light of a rifle's laser sight appears in the centre of her forehead. Our view of the scene fades to black, and then a single gunshot rings out as we hear the sound of the bullet smashing through the window opposite en route to its target.**

"Holy shit," Donovan commented, her, well everyones, eyes are wide in shock as they stare at the screen.

"Yep, that's defiantly Moriarty,"


	11. The new arrivals (00x00 part 1/1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

They all watch as the screen turns black, after another case had closed. John got up and got some tea for himself and Mrs. Hudson, while the Yarders all got some food. After everyone had sat back down words once again appeared on the screen.

\----

**Okay so.... because the next case involves a certain somone, (and I completely forgot they existed) you will have some new people joining you, please don't kill them, violence is not aloud here... Good luck.**

\----

Everyone frowns in confusion as they stared at the screen, everyone's mind whirling to try and figure out who these new people are. 

Before any of them, even Mycroft, could figure out who the new people would be, a bright light flashes from in the room, and as it disappeared it showed two figures sitting the chairs, furthest from everyone. 

John growled, his eyes narrowing as he sees the two figures, hatred burning in his eyes, a similar reaction happened with Mycroft and Mrs. Hudson, thought Mycroft was less obvious. Molly, and Lestrade all tense up, their eyes filled with distrust, laced with hatred, Anderson had the same reaction as Molly and Lestrade just less feeling. While Donovan was only slightly on guard. 

For sitting on the chairs, the two new people, are Moriarty and Kitty Riley. Moriarty was leaning back in his seat, wearing his usual smirk, masking the fact that he was confused with his air of madness. Kitty just looked terrified her eyes finding flickering between everyone, not knowing what to do. 

"You," John growled, lunging out of his seat, his hands curled into fists, aimed right at Moriarty's face. But before he can even get close, he hits something an bounces back, landing on his ass. 

"You're the girl that caused wrote those articles about the f-" Donovan paused as all the glares that were thrown her way was ten times harder, all of them not wanting her to finish anything about it, especially not with their present company. "Sherlock," Donovan finished, hissing the word out with disgust. Kitty nods not knowing what else to say as John seethes in anger. 

\----

**I said no fighting, but I knew that you wouldn't listen so instead I have separated you people, so no one dies, until you've finished watching the cases.**

**For Moriarty and Kitty, do not be afraid you will be moderately safe, for now. But I have brought you here to watch the biggest cases of the later Sherlock Holmes, who is not a fraud!!!!!! And this will prove it.**

**\- A friend**

\----

The two newbies frown in confusion, Kitty glances around but doesn't speak, deciding to just observes for the time being while Moriarty smirks at the other's trying to annoy them, which worked wonders. 

But before anyone could react further the words disappeared revealing....


	12. The Great Game (01x03 part 1/4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

**MINSK, BELARUS.  
In a prison visitors' room, Sherlock – wearing the Coat with a fur collar attached – is sitting at one of the many tables in the room. Sitting at the other side of the table is Barry 'Bezza' Berwick, a young Englishman who is wearing an orange jumpsuit and who is obviously a prison inmate. With the exception of a uniformed guard who stands some distance away, they are the only people in the room. It's very cold in the room, as signified by their steaming breath when they speak. Sherlock sounds bored.**

**SHERLOCK: Just tell me what happened, from the beginning.   
BERWICK: We'd been to a bar – a nice place – and, er, I got chattin' with one of the waitresses, and Karen weren't 'appy with that, so ... when we get back to the 'otel, we end up havin' a bit of a ding-dong, don't we?  
 _(Sherlock sighs out a deliberate and noisy breath.)_   
BERWICK: She was always gettin' at me, sayin' I weren't a real man.   
SHERLOCK: _Wasn't_ a real man. **

"Really, Sherlock?" Molly asked, amusement filling her tone. The original ones, (everyone but Moriarty and Kitty) all chuckled slightly, and in Mycroft's case, that meant his lips lifting in an amused smirk. 

**BERWICK: What?   
SHERLOCK: It's not "weren't"; it's "wasn't."   
BERWICK: Oh.   
SHERLOCK: Go on.   
BERWICK: Well, then I dunno how it happened, but suddenly there's a knife in my hands. And, you know, me old man was a butcher, so I know how to handle knives.   
_(Sherlock's gaze lowers to look at Barry's hands which are resting on the table.)_   
BERWICK: He learned us how to cut up a beast.   
SHERLOCK: "Taught."   
BERWICK _(starting to get angry)_ : What?   
SHERLOCK: _Taught_ you how to cut up a beast.   
BERWICK: Yeah, well, then-then I done it.   
SHERLOCK: "Did it."   
BERWICK _(losing his temper)_ : _Did_ it! _Stabbed_ 'er ... _(he repeatedly slams his hand down on the table)_ ... over and over and over, and I looked down and she weren't ...   
_(Sighing out a loud breath through his nose, Sherlock turns his head away. Getting control of his temper, Barry immediately corrects himself.)_   
BERWICK: ... _wasn't_ movin' no more.   
_(Sherlock, who had just turned his head back towards Barry, now turns it away again with an annoyed look.)_   
BERWICK: ... _any_ more.   
_(He lets out a shaky breath and lowers his head.)_   
BERWICK _(softly)_ : You've gotta help me. I dunno how it happened, but it was an accident. I swear. **

"Did he really think anyone would believe him? He literally just confessed to it," Lestrade pointed out. 

**_(Sherlock gets to his feet and starts to walk away. Barry calls after him frantically.)_   
BERWICK: You've gotta _help_ me, Mr Holmes!   
_(Sherlock stops.)_   
BERWICK: Everyone says you're the best. Without you, I'll get hung for this.   
_(Sherlock looks over his shoulder at the young man.)_   
SHERLOCK: No, no, no, Mr Berwick, not at all.   
_(He looks away thoughtfully for a second.)_   
SHERLOCK: _Hanged_ , yes.   
_(He quirks a smile at the man, then turns and walks away.)  
  
_**

**_ 221B BAKER STREET.   
_ ** **Two gunshots ring out. The camera pans across the living room and shows Sherlock lying slumped in his armchair, his head on the low back of the chair. His eyes close, then a few moments later he opens them and gazes up towards the ceiling. Downstairs, the front door can be heard opening. Sherlock turns his head to look towards the sofa, and we now see that he is sprawled low in the chair with his legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. He is wearing sleepwear and a blue silk dressing gown and his feet are bare. Above the sofa, a smiley face has been spray-painted on the wallpaper using a can of the yellow paint which was so frequently used in the "Blind Banker" case.** **The can is standing on the coffee table in front of the sofa.**

"Where did he get that can?" Anderson asked, leaning forward to look at it more. "Is that the same paint that was used in the last case?"

"Why do you seem so surprised? _Sherlock_ was the one behind everything, so of course he has the cans," Kitty retorted, disgust filling her voice as she said Sherlock's name. 

"Sherlock is innocent," John hissed at her. Kitty snorted and rolled her eyes but didn't answer. 

**As the downstairs door closes Sherlock sighs, turns his head to the front again and then raises his left hand which is holding a pistol. He points the pistol towards the smiley face and – without even looking in that direction – fires two shots at it.**

Everyone, except for Moriarty flinches at the sound of gunshots. 

**A close-up reveals that there are already two bullet holes in the wall where the two eyes had been sprayed, and the two new bullets have impacted the curve of the smile. Sherlock turns his head to look at the face and fires a third shot which either misses the smile or was deliberately aimed to form a 'nose' for the face. As he fires a fourth time, John comes running up the stairs with his fingers in his ears. He stops on the landing, lowers his hands and yells at his flatmate.**

**JOHN: What the _hell_ are you doing?   
SHERLOCK _(sulkily)_ : Bored. **

Kitty blinks in shock at Sherlock's answer, Moriarty was laughing quietly, whilst the rest just roll their eyes. 

**JOHN _(more quietly, squinting at him in disbelief)_ : What?   
SHERLOCK _(loudly)_ : Bored!   
_(He springs up out of the chair. John immediately recoils and covers his ears with his hands.)_   
JOHN: No ... **

**Sherlock switches the pistol to his right hand and turns towards the smiley face, firing at it again. He then swings his arm around his back, twists slightly to his right and fires at the wall from behind his back.**

**SHERLOCK _(angrily)_ : Bored! Bored! **

**As he brings his arm back around, John hurries into the room and Sherlock continues to glare at the smiley face but allows John to snatch the pistol from his hand. John quickly slides the clip out of the gun while Sherlock walks towards the sofa.**

**SHERLOCK _(sulkily)_ : Don't know what's got into the criminal classes. Good job I'm not one of them.   
_(John locks the pistol into a small safe on the dining table and then straightens up.)_   
JOHN: So you take it out on the wall.   
SHERLOCK _(running his fingers along the painted smile)_ : Ah, the wall had it coming. **

"What did the wall ever do to him?" Anderson joked, causing everyone but the two male M's to laugh. Even Kitty smiled slightly. 

**He turns sideways and dramatically flops down onto the sofa on his back, his head landing on a cushion at one end and his feet digging into the arm of the sofa at the end nearest the windows.**

**JOHN _(taking off his coat)_ : What about that Russian case?   
** **_(Sherlock pushes with his feet to shove himself further along the sofa and into a slightly more upright position, and then starts kneading the arm of the sofa with his toes.)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK: Belarus. Open and shut domestic murder. Not worth my time.   
**

**JOHN _(sarcastically)_ : Ah, shame(!)   
**

**_(He walks into the kitchen and throws up his arms in despair at the mess on the table which greets him. He heads towards the fridge.)  
_ **

**JOHN: Anything in? I'm starving.   
**

**_(He opens the fridge door.)  
_ **

**JOHN: Oh, f... **

**He immediately slams it shut again, unable to believe what he just saw inside. He slumps against the door for a moment, his head lowered, then he straightens up and opens the door again. On the shelf inside is a man's head, cut off at the neck, the face looking towards the door. He stares at it for a couple of seconds, then quietly closes the door again.**

"I think I'm going to be sick," Kitty commented quietly, covering her mouth in horror. No one else seemed the slightest bit sick. Mostly because they had faced much worse or were just used to Sherlock's experiments by now. 

**JOHN: It's a head.   
_(He turns and calls out.)_   
JOHN: A severed head!   
SHERLOCK: Just tea for me, thanks. **

They chuckle quietly, Mrs Hudson and Lestrade shaking their head at him.

**JOHN _(walking back into the living room)_ : No, there's a head in the fridge.   
SHERLOCK _(calmly)_ : Yes.   
JOHN: A bloody head!   
SHERLOCK _(stroppily)_ : Well, where _else_ was I supposed to put it? _(He looks round at John.)_ You don't mind, do you?   
_(John holds out his hands despairingly and looks back towards the fridge.)_   
SHERLOCK: I got it from Bart's morgue.   
_(John buries his head in one hand.)_   
SHERLOCK: I'm measuring the coagulation of saliva after death.   
_(He waves his hand vaguely in the direction of a nearby laptop.)_   
SHERLOCK: I see you've written up the taxi driver case.   
JOHN _(throwing one last glance at the fridge)_ : Uh, yes.   
_(He walks over to Sherlock's armchair and sits down.)_   
SHERLOCK: "A Study in Pink." Nice(!)   
JOHN: Well, you know, pink lady, pink case, pink phone – there _was_ a lot of pink. Did you like it?   
_(Even as John has been speaking, Sherlock has picked up a magazine from the coffee table and he now flips it open and addresses his answer to the pages.)_   
SHERLOCK: Erm, no.   
JOHN: Why not? I thought you'd be flattered.   
SHERLOCK _(lowering the magazine and glaring at him)_ : Flattered? _(He raises his index fingers and narrates a section of the blog.)_ "Sherlock sees through everything and everyone in seconds. What's incredible, though, is how spectacularly ignorant he is about some things."   
JOHN: Now hang on a minute. I didn't mean that in a ...   
SHERLOCK _(interrupting)_ : Oh, you meant "spectacularly ignorant" in a _nice_ way(!) **

"He's got a point John, how do you say spectacularly ignorant in a nice way?" Lestrade teases causing John to frown slightly.

**SHERLOCK: Look, it doesn't matter to me who's Prime Minister ...  
** **JOHN _(quietly)_ : I know ...   
** **SHERLOCK: ... or who's sleeping with who ... **

"Whom," Mycroft commented, "it's who's sleeping with whom not who," He added at everyone's confused looks, the others chuckle slightly whilst Kitty, Moriarty and Donavan glare at Mycroft.

**JOHN _(softly)_ : Whether the Earth goes round the Sun ...   
SHERLOCK: Not that again. It's not _important_.   
JOHN: Not impor...   
_(He shifts his position in the chair to face Sherlock.)_   
JOHN: It's primary school stuff. _How_ can you not know that?   
SHERLOCK _(pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes)_ : Well, if I ever did, I've deleted it.   
JOHN: "Deleted it"?   
SHERLOCK _(swinging his legs around to the floor and sitting up to face John)_ : Listen. _(He points to his head with one finger.)_ This is my hard drive, and it only makes sense to put things in there that are useful ... _really_ useful.   
_(He grimaces.)_   
SHERLOCK: Ordinary people fill their heads with all kinds of rubbish, and that makes it hard to get at the stuff that matters. Do you see?   
_(John looks at him for a moment, trying to bite his lip but then can't contain himself.)_   
JOHN: But it's the _solar system!  
(Sherlock briefly buries his head in his hands.)_   
SHERLOCK: Oh, hell! What does that _matter_?!   
_(He looks at John in frustration.)_   
SHERLOCK: So we go round the Sun! If we went round the Moon, or round and round the garden like a teddy bear ... _(he flails his hands around beside his head while narrating the line from the childen's poem)_ **

Even Donovan or Kitty can't help but laugh at how annoyed and ridiculous Sherlock looks on the screen.

**SHERLOCK: ... it wouldn't make any difference. All that matters to me is the work. Without that, my brain rots.  
** **_(He ruffles his hair with both hands, then glares at John.)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK: Put _that_ in your blog. Or better still, stop inflicting your opinions on the world. **

**Petulantly shoving the magazine across the coffee table, he lies down on the sofa again, turning over with his back to John and pulling his dressing gown around him while curling up into a ball. John looks away and purses his lips. The front door downstairs opens and closes. John stands up and walks towards the living room door.**

"He's like a child!" Kitty exclaimed in a mixture of shock and disgust.

"You just figured that out?" Lestrade commented with a snort.

**SHERLOCK _(looking over his shoulder)_ : Where are you going?   
JOHN _(tightly, putting on his jacket)_ : Out. I need some air.   
_(He heads for the stairs, which Mrs Hudson is just coming up.)_   
JOHN: 'Scuse me, Mrs ...   
MRS HUDSON: Oh, sorry, love!   
JOHN: Sorry. **

**Angrily, Sherlock turns his face away again, pulling the cushion under his head nearer to the back of the sofa and curling up even tighter. Mrs Hudson chuckles at John as he passes her but then turns and looks at him in concern as he hurries down the stairs. She comes to the living room door and knocks.**

**MRS HUDSON: Ooh-ooh! **

**Sherlock stretches his legs out straight and turns his head enough to acknowledge her existence, but then looks away again. Mrs Hudson carries a couple of shopping bags into the kitchen.**

**MRS HUDSON: Have you two had a little domestic? **

"Why does everyone think we're dating!!" John shouted in annoyance.

"He didn't deny it," Anderson murmured, pointing at the screen causing his colleagues and Molly to start laughing.

**Flailing to get himself upright, Sherlock stands up off the sofa and takes the shortest route to his destination, walking over the coffee table and going to the left-hand window just as the downstairs door opens and closes.**

**MRS HUDSON: Ooh, it's a bit nippy out there. He should have wrapped himself up a bit more.   
_(Sherlock watches John as he crosses the street and heads in the general direction of away.)_   
SHERLOCK: Look at that, Mrs Hudson. _(He scans the street.)_ Quiet, calm, peaceful. _(He grimaces and drags in a long breath.)_ Isn't it _hateful_?   
_(Mrs Hudson has unloaded some items from her shopping bags and now brandishes a receipt at Sherlock before putting it down on the kitchen table.)_   
MRS HUDSON: Oh, I'm sure something'll turn up, Sherlock. A nice murder – that'll cheer you up.   
_(She chuckles slightly as she carries her bags towards the living room door.)_   
SHERLOCK _(wistfully)_ : Can't come too soon. **

"Repulsive," Kitty hissed, Donavan humming in agreement whilst everyone else glares at the two.

**MRS HUDSON _(stopping when she spots the damaged wall)_ : Hey. What've you done to my bloody wall?!   
_(Sherlock quirks a smile and turns around to admire his handiwork.)_   
MRS HUDSON _(angrily)_ : I'm putting this on your rent, young man! **

**She storms off down the stairs. Sherlock – who has somehow magically relocated without moving and is now in the middle of the room standing just in front of the dining table – grins over-dramatically at the bullet-riddled smiley face, then sighs and turns his head to the front just as a massive explosion goes off in the street behind him. The windows blow in and the blast hurls him forward and to the floor. As the scene fades to black, he groans ...**

"Shit," Lestrade commented, having forgotten there would be an explosion that day.

**... and his groan morphs into a groan coming from John, who is just waking up the next morning in the living room of Sarah Sawyer's flat. Sitting up on the sofa with his shirt unbuttoned, he has apparently slept on said sofa and he is grimacing and trying to un-crick his neck. Sarah walks in, wearing a dressing gown.**

"I can't believe she's still talking to you after the last case," Anderson commented wistfully, the others who were there during the case hummed in agreement. 

**SARAH: Morning!   
JOHN: Oh, mor... _(He turns to look at her but grimaces again and grabs at his neck in pain.)_ Morning.   
SARAH: See? Told you you should've gone with the lilo.   
JOHN _(still rubbing his neck)_ : No, no, no, it's fine. I-I slept fine. It's very kind of you. **

**Sarah has been scanning the sofa as he spoke and has now spotted what she was looking for. She reaches behind John's back to pick up the remote control for the TV, then sits on the arm of the sofa and turns on the telly.**

**SARAH: Well, maybe next time I'll let you kip at the end of my bed, you know.   
_(She looks at him suggestively, then turns her head towards the TV screen.)_ **

"She's either really persistent or just dumb," Donovan commented.

"Hey!" John shouted, frowning slightly.

"The last date you guys went on she almost died, most girls would leave before you could say 'stay'" Donovan pointed out, shaking her head slightly. 

**JOHN _(also looking at the screen)_ : What about the time after that?   
_(She looks at him and grins briefly. John turns his head towards her but doesn't meet her eyes.)_   
NEWSREADER _(on the TV)_ : Experts are hailing it as the artistic find of the century.   
_(The news item is showing a photo of the Hickman Art Gallery, with a headline at the bottom of the screen saying_ "The Lost Vermeer." _)_   
NEWSREADER _(on the TV)_ : The last time ...   
SARAH _(putting down the remote)_ : So, d'you want some breakfast?   
JOHN: Love some.   
SARAH: Yeah, well you'd better make it yourself, 'cause I'm gonna have a shower!   
NEWSREADER _(on the TV)_ : ... it fetched over twenty million pounds.   
_(John looks at Sarah as she smiles at him sassily before leaving the room. He chuckles silently and starts buttoning his shirt.)_   
NEWSREADER _(on the TV)_ : This one is anticipated to do even better. Back now to our main story. There's been a massive explosion in central London. **

**John looks at the TV screen and his face fills with shock as the picture changes to show live footage of a road where brickwork is scattered all over the pavement, and police cordons have been set up to keep people out. The headline at the bottom of the screen reads, "House destroyed on Baker St."**

"Worried about your boyfriend?" Lestrade teased, John instantly becomes slightly flustered as he shouted an unintelligible response.

**NEWSREADER _(on the TV)_ : As yet, there are no reports of any casualties, and the police are unable to say if there is any suspicion of terrorist involvement.   
_(John is already on his feet and he hurries around the sofa to grab his jacket before turning towards the door and calling out.)_   
JOHN: Sarah!   
_(He stops and looks at the TV screen briefly.)_   
NEWSREADER _(on the TV)_ : Police have issued an emergency number for friends and relatives ...   
JOHN: Sarah!   
_(He heads towards the front door, not even waiting for Sarah to reply to him.)_   
JOHN: Sorry – I've got to run.   
  
**

**_ 221B BAKER STREET.   
_ ** **John comes around the corner of the street almost opposite the flat, then stops briefly and stares. Continuing onwards, he heads towards the police cordon and makes his way through the small crowd of gawking onlookers.**

**JOHN: 'Scuse me, can I get through? 'Scuse me.   
_(He approaches one of the police officers who is stopping the crowd from getting closer.)_   
JOHN: Can I go through? **

**He points towards 221 and the police officer lets him through. John walks into the main scene of devastation where bricks and dust are scattered all over the road and pavement. A fire engine is still on the scene and fire hoses are lying in the road waiting to be reeled back in. The windows and shop fronts of the buildings either side of Speedy's have been boarded up; Speedy's itself was protected by its metal roll-down screen. John stops and stares at the building directly opposite the café. The front of the ground and first floor has been completely blown out by the explosion and the rooms inside are exposed to the air. John turns and hurries towards 221, where the first floor windows have also been boarded up. A police officer standing outside Speedy's moves to intercept him but John explains.**

"Shit," Kitty murmured, her voice quiet, but everyone could still hear her.

**JOHN: I live over there.   
_(The officer steps aside and John unlocks the door and goes inside. He races up the stairs.)_   
JOHN: Sherlock. Sherlock! **

**As he hurries into the living room, his eye is drawn to the boarded-up windows, then to his armchair, but his gaze quickly turns to Sherlock's chair where Sherlock, now dressed and wearing his purple shirt under his jacket, is apparently uninjured and is intermittently plucking the strings of the violin he is holding on his chest while he glares petulantly towards John's chair.**

"How the hell isn't he injured?" Lestrade questioned, shaking his head in wonder. 

**SHERLOCK (looking up at his flatmate): John.   
_(The reason for Sherlock's annoyance – his brother Mycroft, who is sitting in John's chair – glances round at John.)_   
JOHN _(to Sherlock)_ : I saw it on the telly. Are you okay?   
SHERLOCK: Hmm? What? _(He looks around at the mess of broken glass and scattered paperwork as if he has forgotten it – which he probably has.)_ Oh, yeah. Fine. Gas leak, apparently.   
_(He turns his attention back to his brother, who stares at him pointedly while Sherlock plucks his violin strings again.)_   
SHERLOCK: I can't.   
MYCROFT: "Can't"?   
SHERLOCK: The stuff I've got on is just too big. I can't spare the time. **

"Wasn't he just complaining about being bored?" Molly questioned.

"My brother hates working for me, no matter the consequences." Mycroft sighed as he spoke, shaking his head.

**_(John looks across to him in disbelief.)_   
MYCROFT: Never mind your usual trivia. This is of national importance.   
SHERLOCK _(sulkily flicking his fingers across the strings)_ : How's the diet?   
MYCROFT _(refusing to rise to the implied insult)_ : _Fine_. Perhaps _you_ can get through to him, John.   
JOHN _(who has walked nearer to the windows to investigate the damage)_ : What?   
MYCROFT: I'm afraid my brother can be very intransigent.   
SHERLOCK: If you're so keen, why don't _you_ investigate it?   
MYCROFT: No-no-no-no-no. I can't possibly be away from the office for any length of time – not with the Korean elections so ... **

"What's he talking about?" Kitty, ever the reporter asked. Mycroft smirks over at her but doesn't speak, no one else bothering to help her.

**_(He trails off as John turns towards him in surprise and Sherlock raises his head from looking at his violin.)_   
MYCROFT: Well, you don't need to know about that, do you?   
_(He smiles humorlessly in a clear message to forget what he just said.)_   
MYCROFT: Besides, a case like this – it requires ... _(he grimaces in distaste)_ ... legwork.   
_(Sherlock mis-plucks one of his strings, an irritated look on his face. He turns to John, who is absently rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.)_   
SHERLOCK: How's Sarah, John? How was the lilo?   
MYCROFT _(consulting his pocket watch and not even looking at John)_ : Sofa, Sherlock. It was the sofa.   
_(Sherlock briefly looks John up and down.)_   
SHERLOCK: Oh yes, of course.   
** **JOHN _(incredulously)_ : _How ...?_ Oh, never mind.   
**

"I feel sorry for you, dealing with Sherlock is enough," Anderson muttered as he shook his head.

**_(He sits down on the coffee table. Mycroft smiles across at him.)  
_ ** **MYCROFT: Sherlock's business seems to be booming since you and he became ... pals.   
**

**_(Sherlock throws him a dark look.)  
_ **

**MYCROFT _(to John)_ : What's he like to live with? Hellish, I imagine.   
**

**JOHN: I'm never bored.   
**

**MYCROFT _(smiling condescendingly)_ : Good! That's good, isn't it? **

**Again Sherlock glares at him. Mycroft stands up as Sherlock picks up his bow and whips one end through the air in front of him. Picking up a folder from the table beside him, Mycroft steps forward and offers the folder to his brother but Sherlock just looks back at him stubbornly. Grimacing and poking his tongue into the corner of his mouth, Mycroft turns and offers the folder to John instead.**

Mycroft couldn't help but wince at how horrible his relationship with his brother had been.

**MYCROFT: Andrew West, known as Westie to his friends.   
_(Looking startled, John takes the folder.)_   
MYCROFT: A civil servant, found dead on the tracks at Battersea Station this morning with his head smashed in.   
_(Cut-away flashback to a Tube guard walking along a railway line in the early morning. The beam from his flashlight picks out the body of a young man lying just beside the tracks.)_   
JOHN: Jumped in front of a train?   
MYCROFT: Seems the logical assumption.   
JOHN _(quirking a brief smile)_ : But ...?   
MYCROFT: "But"?   
JOHN: Well, you wouldn't be here if it was just an accident. **

"Sherlock's rubbing off on you," Molly spoke, grinning slightly. "You're getter more observant,"

**_(Sherlock, who is now applying rosin to his bow with a small cloth, smirks noisily.)_   
MYCROFT: The M.O.D. is working on a new missile defence system – the Bruce-Partington Programme, it's called.   
_(He looks at Sherlock while John starts flicking through the folder.)_   
MYCROFT: The plans for it were on a memory stick.   
_(John sniggers quietly.)_   
JOHN: That wasn't very clever.   
_(Sherlock smiles in agreement.)_   
MYCROFT _(to John)_ : It's not the only copy.   
JOHN: Oh. **

"Not fully though," Anderson snickered, though there was no heat behind it.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Donavan muttered under her breath.

**MYCROFT: But it _is_ secret. And missing.   
JOHN: _Top_ secret?   
MYCROFT: Very. We think West must have taken the memory stick. We can't possibly risk it falling into the wrong hands.   
_(He turns back to his brother.)_   
MYCROFT: You've got to find those plans, Sherlock. Don't make me order you.   
_(Breathing in sharply through his nose, Sherlock raises the violin to his shoulder, ready to play. He looks calmly at his brother.)_   
SHERLOCK: I'd like to see you try. **

"And you thought he was a good person? He wouldn't even help the government because of a petty sibling rival," Kitty muttered under her breath but being the only one not to notice the smirk on Moriarty's face as he stared at the screen. Sowing a few seeds of doubt in the stubborn detective, and confirming something for the other two.

**MYCROFT _(leaning down to him a little in an attempt to look more threatening)_ : Think it over.   
_(Sherlock stares back at him, unimpressed. Mycroft turns and walks over to John, offering him his hand to shake.)_   
MYCROFT: Goodbye, John.   
_(Politely, John stands and shakes his hand. Mycroft smiles at him creepily.)_   
MYCROFT: See you _very_ soon. **

"You seem sure that they would accept your case," Kitty starts, "Sherlock refused, twice, he doesn't strike me as the kind of man who changes his minds," She adds.

"Because I knew he would, one way or the other," Mycroft states cryptically.

**John tries not to look nervous. As Mycroft heads back towards the chair to pick up his coat, Sherlock begins to repeatedly play a short irritating sequence of notes. John frowns across to him but Sherlock continues to play until Mycroft has left the room and is on the stairs. Grimacing in the direction of his brother's back, Sherlock finishes his playing and lowers the violin, still looking annoyed. John sits back down on the coffee table and waits until Mycroft has reached the ground floor and is out of earshot before he speaks.**

**JOHN: Why'd you lie?   
_(Sherlock looks across to him as the front door bangs shut.)_   
JOHN: You've got nothing on – not a single case. That's why the wall took a pounding. Why did you tell your brother you were busy?   
SHERLOCK _(shrugging)_ : Why shouldn't I?   
JOHN: Oh! _(He nods.)_ Oh, I see.   
_(Sherlock's eyes drift in his direction but he doesn't actually look at him.)_   
JOHN: Sibling rivalry. Now we're getting somewhere. _  
_**

"Mycroft literally introduced himself as Sherlock's greatest enemy, and you're just now realizing it?" Anderson questioned, John flushed slightly.

"He has a point, what else would it be?" Lestrade added, grinning over at his friend.

**Sherlock turns and opens his mouth but before he can deny everything his phone starts to ring. He irritably whips his bow down again, puts it on the seat beside him and fishes his phone out of his jacket pocket.**

**SHERLOCK _(into phone)_ : Sherlock Holmes.   
_(He listens for a moment, then his expression intensifies.)_   
SHERLOCK: Of course. How could I refuse?   
_(Standing up and switching off the phone as he puts his violin onto the seat, he heads for the door.)_   
SHERLOCK: Lestrade. I've been summoned. Coming?   
JOHN: If you want me to.   
SHERLOCK: Of course.   
_(Picking up his Coat, he turns back to him.)_   
SHERLOCK: I'd be lost without my blogger.   
  
After a taxi ride during which, bizarrely, Sherlock has briefly changed into a white shirt, the boys arrive at New Scotland Yard and are following Detective Inspector Lestrade across the general office towards his office. **

"Why is he in a different shirt?" Donavan questioned, no one answered her. Mostly because a lot of them hadn't even noticed. Anderson squinted at the image of Sherlock before gasping in shock.

"He is!" He announced, but that was all anyone said before they got distracted.

**LESTRADE: You like the funny cases, don't you? The surprising ones.   
SHERLOCK: Obviously.   
LESTRADE: You'll love _this_. That explosion ...   
SHERLOCK _(briefly exchanging glares with Detective Sergeant Donovan as he walks past her desk)_ : Gas leak, yes? **

"That's the same one that Sherlock got caught in right?" Molly questions.

"Yes,"

**LESTRADE: No.   
SHERLOCK: No?   
LESTRADE: No. Made to _look_ like one.   
JOHN: What?   
_(By now they're in Lestrade's office and Sherlock stops and stares down at a white envelope lying on a desk.)_   
LESTRADE: Hardly anything left of the place except a strong box – a _very_ strong box – and inside it was this.   
_(He points to what Sherlock's looking at.)_   
SHERLOCK: You haven't opened it?   
LESTRADE: It's addressed to you, isn't it?   
_(Sherlock reaches towards the envelope.)_   
LESTRADE: We've X-rayed it. It's not booby-trapped.   
SHERLOCK _(hesitating slightly)_ : How reassuring(!) **

"Isn't that a good thing?" Kitty questions.

"Sherlock never trusted any of the police members," Lestrade answered, with a slight glare towards Donavan and Anderson. It was people like them that made it hard for Sherlock to trust them completely.

**He picks up the envelope and takes it across the room to another table which has an anglepoise lamp on it. Holding the envelope close to the bulb he examines both sides carefully. On the front in elegant handwriting are the words "Sherlock Holmes" – by hand.**

**SHERLOCK: Nice stationery. Bohemian.   
LESTRADE: What?   
SHERLOCK: From the Czech Republic. No fingerprints?   
LESTRADE: No.   
SHERLOCK _(looking closely at the writing)_ : She used a fountain pen. A Parker Duofold – iridium nib.   
JOHN: "She"?   
SHERLOCK: Obviously.   
JOHN _(struggling not to sigh)_ : Obviously(!) **

"How did he know it was a female?" Molly can't help but question.

"The handwriting," Mycroft answered, in a duh voice.

**Sherlock picks up a letter opener from the desk and carefully slits the envelope open. He looks inside and his mouth opens a little in surprise as he reaches in and takes out a pink iPhone.**

**JOHN _(shocked)_ : But that's – that's the phone, the pink phone.   
LESTRADE: What, from the Study in Pink?   
SHERLOCK: Well, obviously it's not the same phone but it's supposed to look like ...   
_(He stops when he realises what Lestrade just said. He turns to face him. Sally has come into the room to put some files down on a desk near the door.)_   
SHERLOCK: The Study in Pink? You read his blog?   
LESTRADE: Course I read his blog! We _all_ do. D'you _really_ not know that the Earth goes round the Sun? **

"Not this again," John mutters, and the others snigger slightly, remembering Sherlock's previous outburst.

**Sally sniggers loudly. Sherlock, who is taking off his gloves, glares at her while John purses his lips in embarrassment. Sally leaves the room and Sherlock turns his concentration back to the phone.**

**SHERLOCK: It isn't the same phone. This one's brand new.   
_(He's looking at the connection sockets, none of which have scratches around them.)_   
SHERLOCK: Someone's gone to a lot of trouble to make it _look_ like the same phone, which means your blog has a far wider readership.   
_(He throws an accusatory look at John, who does his best to ignore it. Sherlock switches on the phone and immediately gets a voice alert.)_   
VOICE ALERT: You have one new message. **

**The message plays but there is no voice – just the unmistakeable sound of the Greenwich Time Signal. However, while the "Greenwich pips" – as they're more generally called – consist of five short pips and one longer tone, this recording has only four short pips and the longer one. **

"Why was the last one longer?" Anderson questions. 

"To show that it was the last one maybe?" Lestrade answers, but he doesn't really know. "All the last ones were longer than the others.

**JOHN: Is that it?   
SHERLOCK: No. That's _not_ it. **

**A photograph has also been uploaded to the phone. He opens it and Lestrade comes across to look over his shoulder. The picture is of an unfurnished room with a fireplace on one wall. The wallpaper is peeling and there's a tall mirror propped up in one corner. A smaller mirror – the type which is usually hung up above a fireplace – is standing on the mantelpiece.**

**LESTRADE: What the hell are we supposed to make of that? An estate agent's photo and the bloody Greenwich pips!   
SHERLOCK _(gazing thoughtfully into the distance)_ : It's a warning.   
JOHN: A warning?   
SHERLOCK: Some secret societies used to send dried melon seeds, orange pips, things like that. Five pips. They're warning us it's gonna happen again.   
_(He briefly looks down at the photo again, then brandishes the phone at the others as he starts to leave the office.)_   
SHERLOCK: And I've seen this place before. **

"Of course he has, he-" Kitty snapped her jaw shut at the glare everyone sent her. She was even starting to get on Donavan's nerves!

**JOHN _(following him)_ : H-hang on. _What's_ gonna happen again?   
SHERLOCK _(turning back and raising his hands dramatically)_ : Boom! **

"Very Dramatic," Someone mutters with a snicker, sounding amused.

**_(He heads off with John behind him. Lestrade grabs his coat and hurries after them.)  
_ **

**_ BAKER STREET.   
_ **

**A taxi pulls up outside 221 and Sherlock, John and Lestrade get out. Sherlock unlocks the front door and leads the way inside, bypassing the stairs and heading along the corridor towards Mrs Hudson's front door. Just as he reaches it he stops and turns to the left where there is another door which must lead to a basement flat. Numbers and letters stuck on the door read, "221c". Sherlock turns his head and calls out loudly towards his landlady's front door.**

**SHERLOCK: _Mrs Hudson!_**

**Shortly afterwards, Mrs Hudson opens the front door of 221A and hands Sherlock a set of keys. He has been examining the padlock attached to the other door and now takes the keys and begins to unlock it.**

**MRS HUDSON: You had a look, didn't you, Sherlock, when you first came to see about your flat.   
SHERLOCK _(looking closely at the door's keyhole)_ : The door's been opened recently.   
MRS HUDSON: No, can't be. That's the only key. **

"There's more than one way to open a door without a key," Moriarty mused quietly. Though everyone heard. John glared over at him.

**_(Pulling the padlock off, Sherlock selects another key and puts it into the door's keyhole.)_   
MRS HUDSON: I can't get anyone interested in this flat. It's the damp, I expect. That's the curse of basements.   
_(Sherlock turns the key and pulls open the door. He immediately goes inside and John and Lestrade follow, taking little or no notice of Mrs H as she continues rambling on.)_   
MRS HUDSON: I had a place once when I was first married. Black mould all up the walls ...   
_(She trails to a halt as Lestrade closes the door behind him. She turns and heads back into her own flat.)_   
MRS HUDSON _(exasperated)_ : Oh! Men! **

"That wasn't very nice," Molly muttered, and both John and Lestrade shot an apologetic look over to Mrs Hudson who just waves them off.

**Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Sherlock slowly pushes open the door to the living room and walks inside, followed by the other two. The room looks exactly as it did in the photograph on the phone with one exception: there is a pair of trainers placed neatly side by side in the middle of the floor, their toes pointed towards the door. John stops and looks at them before stating the bleedin' obvious.**

**JOHN: Shoes.   
_(Sherlock starts to walk towards them but John holds out a cautionary hand towards him.)_   
JOHN: He's a bomber, remember. **

**Sherlock stops for a moment, then continues slowly towards the trainers. He crouches down, then puts his hands on the floor and leans forward. Lowering his body down he moves closer to the shoes. Just as his nose is almost touching them, a phone rings.** **Sherlock jumps, closes his eyes momentarily and then stands up.**

"You know, if I didn't know Sherlock, I would think he was actually embrassed," Lestrade muses, as he stares at Sherlock. 

**Pulls off his glove and takes the pink iPhone from his coat pocket and looks at the caller I.D. It reads,"NUMBER BLOCKED". He pauses for a second, then switches on the speaker, holding the phone a few inches in front of his mouth.**

**SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : Hello?   
_(A female voice draws in a shaky breath before speaking tearfully.)_   
WOMAN's VOICE: H-hello ... sexy.   
_(John and Lestrade exchange a puzzled look as the woman sobs.)_   
SHERLOCK: Who's this?   
WOMAN's VOICE _(tearfully)_ : I've ... sent you ... a little puzzle ... just to say hi.   
SHERLOCK: Who's talking? Why are you crying?   
WOMAN's VOICE _(shakily and full of tears)_ : I-I'm not ... crying ... I'm typing ... **

**We now see that the woman at the other end of the line is sitting in the driver's seat of a car holding a phone to her ear with one shaking hand and holding a pager in the other hand. Her face is covered with tears and she looks terrified as she reads from the pager.**

"That poor woman," Kitty muttered, glaring when Sherlock comes back onto the screen.

**WOMAN: ... and this ... stupid ... bitch ... is reading it out.   
_(She sobs again. Sherlock gazes thoughtfully into the distance.)_   
SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : The curtain rises.   
JOHN: What?   
SHERLOCK: Nothing.   
JOHN: No, what did you mean?   
SHERLOCK _(half turning his head towards him)_ : I've been expecting this for some time.   
WOMAN: Twelve hours to solve ... my puzzle, Sherlock ... **

**We now see that the car is in a car park. People are going about their everyday business, unaware that a large explosive device is strapped to the woman's chest. A red laser point travels over the device and her neck, suggesting that a sniper is aiming at her from some distance away.**

**WOMAN: ... or I'm going ... to be ... so naughty.   
_(The phone goes dead and the woman looks down at the bomb and the laser light, and sobs in despair.)_**

"I hate to aree with you," Mrs Hudson mutters, sending a glare at Kitty, "But your right, that poor woman," Kitty frowned over at her.  
  


** _ST BARTHOLOMEW'S HOSPITAL.  
_ **

**Sherlock has brought the trainers to a lab and is putting on a pair of latex gloves while he looks closely at them. He picks them up, examines the laces carefully and peers at the shoes from all directions, then digs out dried mud from the treads in the soles and puts it into a dish. Putting the shoes down again, he looks at them thoughtfully.**

**Later, he is sitting at a bench looking into a microscope while, beside him, a computer screen shows that a scanner of some sort is running tests. John is wandering up and down on the other side of the bench.**

**JOHN: So, who d'you suppose it was?   
_(A phone trills a text alert.)_   
SHERLOCK _(absently, not reacting to the alert)_ : Hmm?   
JOHN: The woman on the phone – the crying woman.   
SHERLOCK: Oh, she doesn't matter. She's just a hostage. No lead there. **

"Probably could have phrased that better," Anderson can't help but comment, wincing slightly. "But then again, Sherlock always was blunt,"

**JOHN _(exasperated)_ : For God's sake, I wasn't thinking about leads.   
SHERLOCK: You're not going to be much use to her.   
_(He glances across to the scanner as it continues throwing up "NO MATCH" results, then looks back into the microscope.)_   
JOHN: Are-are they _trying_ to trace it, trace the call?   
SHERLOCK: The bomber's too smart for that.   
_(The same phone as before trills another text alert.)_   
SHERLOCK: Pass me my phone.   
_(John looks around the room.)_   
JOHN: Where is it?   
SHERLOCK: Jacket. **

**John straightens up slowly, his entire body going rigid in disbelief and his eyes broadcasting the message "I am going to kill him." ** **Turning to his right, he marches stiffly around the table, slams one hand onto Sherlock's left shoulder and roughly pulls open his jacket with the other as he starts to rummage in his inside pocket.**

Everyone laughs at John. "And you wonder why everyone thinks your together," Lestrade can't help but tease. John sinks down in his chair, blushing slightly while Molly frowns.

**SHERLOCK _(angrily, still not looking up)_ : Careful.   
_(John just about holds onto his temper and pulls out the phone and looks at it.)_   
JOHN: Text from your brother.   
SHERLOCK: Delete it.   
JOHN: Delete it?   
SHERLOCK: Missile plans are out of the country now. Nothing we can do about it.   
_(John looks at the message again, which reads:_   
  
RE: BRUCE-PARTINGTON PLANS   
Any progress on Andrew   
West's death?   
Mycroft**

**JOHN: Well, Mycroft thinks there is. He's texted you eight times. Must be important.   
_(Sherlock raises his head in exasperation.)_   
SHERLOCK: Then why didn't he cancel his dental appointment?   
JOHN _(sighing tiredly)_ : His what?   
SHERLOCK: Mycroft never texts if he can talk. Look, Andrew West stole the missile plans, tried to sell them, got his head smashed in for his pains. End of story. The only mystery is this: why is my brother so determined to bore me when somebody else is being so delightfully interesting?   
_(He looks back into the microscope again.)_   
JOHN _(switching off the phone)_ : Try and remember there's a woman here who might die.   
SHERLOCK: What for? **

"Repulsing," Kitty can't help but mutter under her breath, though no one hears her. Which is lucky, because if they did, they probably would have tried to kill her.

**_(He looks up at John.)_   
SHERLOCK: This hospital's full of people dying, Doctor. Why don't you go and cry by _their_ bedside and see what good it does them?   
_(John looks away in disbelief. Unmoved, Sherlock looks back into the microscope but just then the computer beeps a result.)_   
SHERLOCK _(delighted)_ : Ah!   
_(He looks across to the screen which is flashing "SEARCH COMPLETE." At the same moment Molly Hooper comes in the door.)_   
MOLLY: Any luck?   
SHERLOCK _(triumphantly)_ : Oh, yes!   
_(As Molly comes over to look at the screen, a man in his thirties, wearing slacks and a T-shirt, comes in the door and then stops apologetically.)_   
JIM: Oh, sorry. I didn't ... **

Everyone, but Kitty and Moriarty glare at the Moriarty on the screen. Though the real Moriarty was smirking in amusement. 

**MOLLY: Jim! Hi!   
_(Jim makes as if to leave the room but Molly stops him.)_   
MOLLY: Come in! Come in! **

**Sherlock looks over at her briefly, running his eyes down her body and apparently making an instant deduction, then looks back into the microscope. Molly makes introductions as Jim closes the door and walks over to her.**

**MOLLY: Jim, this is Sherlock Holmes.   
JIM: Ah!   
_(John turns towards them, and Molly looks at him blankly.)_   
MOLLY _(apologetically)_ : And, uh ... sorry.   
JOHN: John Watson. Hi. **

Molly blushes in embrassement as she mutters an apology to John, the others chuckling slightly.

**JIM: Hi.   
_(His eyes are locked on Sherlock's back as he gazes at him admiringly. He speaks in a casual London accent.)_   
JIM: So _you're_ Sherlock Holmes. Molly's told me all about you. You on one of your cases?   
_(He walks closer to Sherlock, forcing John to step out of his way.)_   
MOLLY: Jim works in I.T. upstairs. That's how we met. Office romance.   
_(She and Jim giggle. Sherlock glances briefly round at Jim before returning to look into the 'scope.)_   
SHERLOCK: Gay.   
_(Molly's smile fades.)_   
MOLLY: Sorry, what?   
_(Sherlock raises his head as he realises what he's just done.)_   
SHERLOCK: Nothing. _(He smiles round falsely at Jim.)_ Um, hey. **

"He's learning," Anderson fake gasps, to everyones amusement.

**JIM _(smiling admiringly at him)_ : Hey.   
_(Lowering his hand, he knocks a metal dish off the edge of the table and scrambles to pick it up.)_   
JIM _(giggling nervously)_ : Sorry! Sorry!   
_(John turns away, face-palming, while Sherlock looks irritated. Jim puts the dish back on the table and then scratches his arm as he wanders back towards Molly.)_   
JIM: Well, I'd better be off. I'll see you at The Fox, 'bout six-ish?   
MOLLY: Yeah!   
_(He stops beside her, putting a hand on her back, and looks back towards Sherlock.)_   
JIM: 'Bye.   
MOLLY _(softly)_ : 'Bye.   
JIM _(to Sherlock)_ : It was nice to meet you.   
_(Sherlock doesn't respond, continuing to look into his microscope while Jim gazes wistfully at him. John breaks the embarrassing silence.)_   
JOHN: You too. **

The officers, all snort as John answers for Sherlock, thinking that they really are a lot like a couple.

**_(Jim blinks at him, looking awkward, then turns and leaves the room. Molly waits until the door closes then turns to Sherlock.)_   
MOLLY: What d'you mean, gay? We're together.   
SHERLOCK _(looking across to her)_ : And domestic bliss must suit you, Molly. You've put on three pounds since I last saw you.   
MOLLY: Two and a half.   
SHERLOCK: Nuh, three.   
JOHN: Sherlock ...   
MOLLY _(angrily)_ : He's _not_ gay. Why d'you have to spoil ...? He's _not_.   
SHERLOCK _(snorting)_ : With that level of personal grooming?   
JOHN: Because he puts a bit of product in his hair? _I_ put product in my hair.   
SHERLOCK: You _wash_ your hair. There's a difference. No-no – tinted eyelashes; clear signs of taurine cream around the frown lines; those tired clubber's eyes. Then there's his underwear.   
MOLLY: His _underwear_?   
SHERLOCK: Visible above the waistline – _very_ visible; very particular brand.   
_(He reaches for the metal dish.)_   
SHERLOCK: That, plus the _extremely_ suggestive fact that he just left his number under this dish here ... _(he shows her the card that Jim left under the dish)_ ... and I'd say you'd better break it off now and save yourself the pain. **

"Okay, so maybe he hasn't come that far," Anderson muses, as he stares at Sherlock. "But he was getting more human like,"

**_(Molly stares at him for a moment, then turns and runs out of the room. Sherlock looks startled by her reaction.)_   
JOHN: Charming. Well done.   
SHERLOCK: Just saving her time. Isn't that kinder?   
JOHN: "Kinder"? No, no, Sherlock. _That_ wasn't kind.   
_(Looking fed up with the conversation, Sherlock puts down Jim's card and then reaches over and moves one of the trainers on the desk closer to John.)_   
SHERLOCK: Go on, then.   
JOHN: Mmm?   
SHERLOCK: You know what I do. Off you go.   
_(He sits back and folds his arms expectantly. John makes incoherent negative noises and looks at his watch.)_   
JOHN: No.   
SHERLOCK: Go on.   
JOHN: I'm not gonna stand here so you can humiliate me while I try and disseminate ...   
SHERLOCK _(interrupting)_ : An outside eye, a second opinion. It's very useful to me. **

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen Sherlock ask for someone else's deductions," Anderson muses. No one answers him because no one has to. John has always been the expection for Sherlock.

**JOHN: Yeah, right(!)   
SHERLOCK: _Really.  
_**

_**(John turns back to him and the two of them have intense staring competition for several seconds. Eventually John nods unhappily.)  
** _

**JOHN: Fine.   
**

_**(Clearing his throat, he picks up the shoe and looks at it and its partner lying on the table.)  
** _

**JOHN: I dunno – they're just a pair of shoes. _(He immediately corrects himself.)_ Trainers.   
**

**SHERLOCK: Good.   
**

_**(He looks away and picks up his phone while John continues looking at the trainers.)  
** _

**JOHN: Umm ... they're in good nick. I'd say they were pretty new ... except the sole has been well-worn, so the owner must have had them for a while.   
**

_**(Sherlock, who had started to look frustrated when John said they were new, breathes out a silent sigh of relief that his friend isn't that stupid.)** _

**JOHN: Uh, they're very eighties – probably one of those retro designs.   
**

**SHERLOCK: You're on _sparkling_ form. What else?   
**

**JOHN: Well, they're quite big, so a man's.   
**

**SHERLOCK: But ...?   
**

**JOHN _(looking inside both of the trainers and seeing blue smudges at the sides)_ : But there's traces of a name inside in felt-tip. Adults don't write their names inside their shoes, so these belonged to a kid. **

"You're getting really good at that," Molly comments happily. John flushes slightly and grins back at her, feeling proud of himself.

**SHERLOCK _(looking at him proudly)_ : Excellent. What else?   
**

**JOHN: Uh ... _(he looks again at the shoe he's holding, then puts it down)_ ... that's it.   
**

**SHERLOCK: That's it?   
**

_**(John nods.)  
** _

**JOHN: How did I do?   
**

**SHERLOCK: Well, John; _really_ well.   
**

_**(He pauses momentarily.)  
** _

**SHERLOCK: I mean, you missed almost everything of importance, but, um, you know ... **

"But he looked proud," Kitty couldn't help but question, her eyes narrowing at Sherlock.

"If you had seen the sneaker, would you have figured out any of that like John did?" Lestrade questions, smirking when she doesn't answer.

**He lifts his hand and slowly rotates his wrist to turn his palm upwards, his expression full of sarcasm. With a look of frustration, John picks up the trainer and gives it to him. Sherlock looks at it closely as he goes into deduction mode.**

**SHERLOCK: The owner loved these. Scrubbed them clean, whitened them where they got discoloured. Changed the laces three ... no, _four_ times.   
_(John puts his hands on the desk and lowers his head in despair.)_   
SHERLOCK: Even so, there are traces of his flaky skin where his fingers have come into contact with them, so he suffered from eczema. Shoes are well-worn, more so on the inside, which means the owner had weak arches. British-made, twenty years old.   
JOHN _(straightening up)_ : Twenty years?   
SHERLOCK: They're not retro – they're original.   
_(He shows John an image on his phone.)_   
SHERLOCK: Limited edition: two blue stripes, nineteen eighty-nine.   
JOHN: But there's still mud on them. They look _new_.   
SHERLOCK _(looking thoughtfully at the trainer)_ : Someone's kept them that way. Quite a bit of mud caked on the soles. Analysis shows it's from Sussex, with London mud overlaying it.   
JOHN: How do you know?   
SHERLOCK _(nodding towards the computer screen)_ : Pollen. Clear as a map reference to me.   
_(Two dots are flashing on a map of Britain, one around the borders of East and West Sussex and the other to the south-east of London.)_ **

"You know, for a second I thought he had figured that out without the use of technology," Anderson admitted, chuckling slightly.

**SHERLOCK: South of the river, too. So, the kid who owned these trainers came to London from Sussex twenty years ago and left them behind.   
JOHN: So what happened to him?   
SHERLOCK: Something bad.   
_(He looks up at John.)_   
SHERLOCK: He _loved_ those shoes, remember. He'd never leave them filthy. Wouldn't leave them go unless he had to. So: a child with big feet gets ...   
_(He trails off, staring ahead of himself.)_   
SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : Oh.   
_(John looks across the lab, trying to see what his friend is looking at.)_   
JOHN: What?   
SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : Carl Powers.   
JOHN: Sorry, who?   
SHERLOCK _(still staring into the distance)_ : Carl Powers, John.   
JOHN: What is it?   
SHERLOCK: It's where I began. **

"What does he mean, 'It's where I began.'"Kitty questions.

"You'll just have to watch to find out." 


	13. The Great Game (01x03 part 2/4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

**_LATER   
_ ** **The boys are in the back of a taxi.**

**SHERLOCK: Nineteen eighty-nine, a young kid – champion swimmer – came up from Brighton for a school sports tournament; drowned in the pool. Tragic accident.   
_(He shows John the front page of a newspaper on his phone.)_   
SHERLOCK: You wouldn't remember it. Why should you?   
JOHN: But _you_ remember.   
SHERLOCK: Yes.   
JOHN: Something fishy about it?   
SHERLOCK: Nobody thought so – nobody except me. I was only a kid myself. I read about it in the papers.   
JOHN: Started young, didn't you?   
SHERLOCK: The boy, Carl Powers, had some kind of fit in the water, but by the time they got him out it was too late. But there was something wrong; something I couldn't get out of my head.   
JOHN: What?   
SHERLOCK: His shoes.   
**

**JOHN: What about them?   
**

**SHERLOCK: They weren't there. **

"What's so important about a pair of missing shoes?" Kitty couldn't help but question. **  
**

"Maybe if you shut up and listen you would find out," Anderson snapped back with a glare.

**SHERLOCK: I made a fuss; I tried to get the police interested, but nobody seemed to think it was important. He'd left all the rest of his clothes in his locker, but there was no sign of his shoes ...  
**

**_(He leans down and picks up a bag containing the trainers.)  
_ **

**SHERLOCK: ... until now. **

"I still don't see what's so important about those shoes," Kitty muttered, but everyone either ignored or glared. John barely stopping himself from snapping at her to get some patience.  
  


**_SIX HOURS TO GO.   
_ **

**As Sherlock sits in the back of the taxi holding the pink phone and lost in thought, the woman who rang him earlier sits in her car crying in despair.**

"That poor woman," Mrs Hudson mumured, everyone felt sick staring at the crying woman. Why would anyone do this just for a game? Kitty stared over at her, but wisely kept her mouth shut.  
  


**_ 221B BAKER STREET   
_ ** **Sherlock has shut himself in the kitchen and is sitting at the table with the trainers nearby – still in the bag – while he looks through photographs and printouts of newspaper reports of Carl Powers' death from 1989. In the living room, on the other side of the closed doors, John is pacing back and forth. He stops and slides open one of the doors.**

**JOHN: Can I help?   
_(Sherlock doesn't react to him at all.)_   
JOHN: I want to help. There's only five hours left.   
_(His phone sounds a text alert. He gets the phone from his trouser pocket and looks at the message. It reads:_   
  
Any developments?   
Mycroft Holmes**

**JOHN: It's your brother. He's texting _me_ now.   
_(He frowns.)_   
JOHN: How does he know my number? **

"How did you get my number?" John questioned, realizing he never got an answer to that. Mycroft smirked in response.

**SHERLOCK _(thoughtfully)_ : Must be a root canal.   
_(Putting his phone away, John comes into the kitchen.)_   
JOHN: Look, he did say 'national importance.'   
_(Sherlock snorts, not looking up from his research.)_   
SHERLOCK: How quaint.   
JOHN: What is?   
SHERLOCK: _You_ are. Queen and country.   
JOHN _(sternly)_ : You can't just ignore it.   
SHERLOCK: I'm not ignoring it. Putting my best man onto it right now.   
JOHN: Right. Good.   
_(He folds his arms and nods in satisfaction, then looks at Sherlock in puzzlement.)_   
JOHN: Who's that?**

Everyone laughs at John's obliviousness. After all who else would it be but him?

**Sometime later John, wearing a jacket and tie, is sitting in a chair opposite a desk in a large, rather intimidating office. He looks anxiously at his watch as if he has been waiting there for some time. The door opens and Mycroft walks in, reading a report.**

**MYCROFT: John. How nice. I was hoping you wouldn't be long.   
_(John politely stands up as Mycroft walks towards the desk, still looking at the report.)_   
MYCROFT: How can I help you?   
_(He walks straight past John and puts down the report on the desk, imperiously waving a hand in John's direction to signify that he can sit down again.)_   
JOHN: Thank you. _(He sits.)_ Um, well, I was wanting to ... um, your brother sent me to collect more facts about the stolen plans, the missile plans.   
_(Mycroft looks over his shoulder and smiles at him.)_   
MYCROFT: Did he?   
JOHN: Yes.   
_(He smiles back a little nervously as Mycroft turns towards him and leans back against the desk.)_   
JOHN: He's investigating now.   
_(Mycroft put his hand to the right side of his mouth as if he is in pain.)_   
JOHN: He's, er, investigating away. **

"You know, for someone who spends so much time with Sherlock, you would think you could lie a bit better," Anderson teases, John blushes slightly as the others chuckle at him. 

**_(Lowering his hand again, Mycroft smiles as if he doesn't believe a word of it.)_   
JOHN: Um, I just wondered what else you can tell me about the dead man.   
MYCROFT: Uh, twenty-seven; a clerk at Vauxhall Cross – er, MI6. He was involved in the Bruce-Partington Programme in a minor capacity. Security checks A-OK; no known terrorist affiliations or sympathies ...   
_(Cut-away flashback to Andrew West sitting on a living room sofa with a young blonde woman. She snuggles into his shoulder, unaware that he is looking very worried.)_   
MYCROFT: Last seen by his fiancée at ten thirty yesterday evening.   
_(In the flashback, Westie is now standing at the window looking out into the night.)_   
WESTIE: Lucy, love, I've gotta go out. I've gotta see someone.   
_(He hurries out of the room. Lucy calls after him.)_   
LUCY: Westie!   
_(Brief flashback of Westie's dead body lying beside the railway track.)_   
JOHN: Right. He was found at Battersea, yes? So he got on the train.   
MYCROFT: No.   
JOHN: What?   
MYCROFT: He had an Oyster card ... **

**Grimacing, he raises his hand to his mouth again. John frowns as he begins to realise that Sherlock may have been right about Mycroft having had a root canal filling to one of his teeth.**

"Sherlock was right wasn't he?" John asked, he had forgotten to ask before, but know as he watches it again, he can't help but confirm it.

"Yes," Mycroft admitted.

**MYCROFT: ... but it hadn't been used.   
JOHN: Must have bought a ticket.   
MYCROFT _(lowering his hand)_ : There was no ticket on the body.   
JOHN: Then ...   
MYCROFT: Then how did he end up with a bashed-in brain on the tracks at Battersea? That is the question – the one I was rather hoping Sherlock would provide an answer to. How's he getting on?   
JOHN: He-he's fine, yes. Oh, and-and _it_ is going ... _very_ well. It's, um, you know – he's completely focussed on it.   
_(He grins at Mycroft unconvincingly.)  
  
_**

**THREE HOURS TO GO.  
Darkness has fallen and the woman still sits in the car and sobs.  
**

Any and all of their grins disappear as they see the woman, their humor at John fading into sadness and guilt. John and the police officers suddenly wishing that they could go back into time and solve them earlier so the hostages didn't have to suffer.

**_221B BAKER STREET_  
Sherlock has moved to the side table in the kitchen and is looking into his microscope. Mrs Hudson comes in through the kitchen door with a tray containing a couple of mugs. As she puts them on the kitchen table, Sherlock looks up. **

**SHERLOCK: Poison.   
MRS HUDSON: What you going on about?   
_(Sherlock slams his hands down on the side table.)_   
SHERLOCK: Clostridium botulinum!   
_(Mrs Hudson cringes and flees the kitchen. Sherlock looks round at John as he comes in from the living room.)_   
SHERLOCK: It's one of the deadliest poisons on the planet!   
_(John looks at him blankly.)_   
SHERLOCK: Carl Powers!   
JOHN: Oh, wait, are you saying he was murdered?   
_(Sherlock stands up and walks over to where he has hung up the laces from the trainers.)_   
SHERLOCK: Remember the shoelaces?   
JOHN: Mmm.   
SHERLOCK: The boy suffered from eczema. It'd be the easiest thing in the world to introduce the poison into his medication. Two hours later he comes up to London, the poison takes effect, paralyses the muscles and he drowns.   
JOHN: What – how-how come the autopsy didn't pick that up?   
SHERLOCK: It's virtually undetectable. Nobody would have been looking for it. **

"I still don't get why he made such a fuss about a pair of shoes," Kitty mutters.

"It's Sherlock, no one understands why or how he does anything," Lestrade answers.

"That's because you haven't been listening," Mycroft said at the same time.

**He has walked around the table to where his computer notebook is lying. The page is open at the Forum of his own website, The Science of Deduction, and he now begins to type into the message box:**

**FOUND. Pair of trainers belonging to Carl Powers (1978-1989).**

**SHERLOCK _(straightening up to point to the laces)_ : But there were still tiny traces of it left inside the trainers from where he put the cream on his feet.   
_(He bends down and continues to type:_**

**Botulinum toxin still present. Apply 221b Baker St.**

**_He sends the message and straightens up.)_   
SHERLOCK: That's why they had to go.   
JOHN: So how do we let the bomber know ...   
SHERLOCK: Get his attention ...   
JOHN: Mm-hm.   
SHERLOCK _(looking at his watch)_ : ... stop the clock.   
JOHN: The killer kept the shoes all these years.   
SHERLOCK: Yes. _(He looks at John.)_ Meaning ...   
JOHN: He's our bomber.**

"Miss Riley, if, as you believe, Sherlock is behind everything, wouldn't that make him the killer of Carl Powers, which happened when Sherlock was a kid, who Sherlock only knew after Carl had died," Mycroft stated, Kitty frowned in response. Donovan, sitting off to the side listened quietly. Her opnions moving slightly at the realisation.

**The pink phone rings on the side table. Sherlock hurries over to it and switches on the speaker. In the car park, the woman sobs in anguish as she reads out the latest message from the pager.**

**WOMAN: Well done, you. Come and get me.   
SHERLOCK _(loudly and clearly)_ : Where _are_ you? Tell us where you are.**

**Sometime later the woman stares anxiously out of the car window as members of a bomb disposal team, dressed in protective padded clothing, make their way towards the car.**

"Thank god she's safe," Molly murmured. The other's couldn't help but agree, even if they knew that she would be safe, it was still a relief to see her being saved.  
  


**_MORNING. NEW SCOTLAND YARD._  
The boys are in Lestrade's office, Sherlock standing at the window which looks into the main office, his hands raised in front of his mouth and his fingers tapping together. John is sitting opposite Lestrade at his desk. **

**LESTRADE: She lives in Cornwall. Two men broke in wearing masks, forced her to drive to the car park and decked her out in enough explosives to take down a house.   
_(He looks up at Sherlock who is walking towards the desk.)_   
LESTRADE: Told her to phone _you_. She had to read out from this pager.   
_(He puts the pager onto the desk in front of John, who picks it up to look at it.)_   
SHERLOCK: And if she deviated by one word, the sniper would set her off.   
JOHN: Or if you hadn't solved the case.   
SHERLOCK (walking back to the window and speaking softly, as if to himself): Oh. Elegant.**

Kitty frowns in disgust while the others shake the head at him. Though they aren't surprised. No one notices Morairty grin.

**_(John raises his head and sighs in exasperation.)_   
JOHN: "Elegant"?   
LESTRADE: But what was the point? Why would anyone _do_ this?   
SHERLOCK: Oh – I can't be the only person in the world that gets bored. **

**He flashes back in his mind to shooting holes in the wall a couple of days ago. Just then the pink phone beeps a message alert. John turns round to him as Sherlock activates the phone.**

**VOICE ALERT: You have one new message.   
_(As Sherlock walks towards Lestrade's desk, the phone sounds the Greenwich pips again, but this time there are three short pips and one long one.)_   
JOHN: Four pips.   
SHERLOCK: First test passed, it would seem. Here's the second. **

**He shows a new photograph to the others. It's a close-up of a car with its driver's door open and the number plate clearly visible. John and Lestrade get up to take a closer look, and outside in the main office a phone rings.**

**SHERLOCK: It's abandoned, wouldn't you say?   
LESTRADE: I'll see if it's been reported.   
_(As he picks up his desk phone, Sergeant Donovan comes to the office holding another phone.)_   
DONOVAN: Freak, it's for you.   
_(Sherlock walks over to the door and takes the phone from her. John sits down again and Sherlock walks out into the general office and raises the phone to his ear.)_   
SHERLOCK: Hello?   
_(The frightened voice of a young man comes over the phone.)_   
YOUNG MAN: It's okay that you've gone to the police.   
SHERLOCK: Who is this? Is this you again?   
YOUNG MAN: But don't rely on them.   
_(In Lestrade's office, John looks round and sits up taller when he sees the look on Sherlock's face.)_ **

Donovan frowned, she hadn't even noticed who it was, just that it was for Sherlock and John knew about it from a look? Not that she was surprised, but she thought she was better at her job to notice when a serial killer called.

**YOUNG MAN: Clever you, guessing about Carl Powers.   
_(We get a glimpse of the young man standing somewhere in a busy street, reading from a pager.)_   
YOUNG MAN: I never liked him.   
** **_(Sherlock looks round sharply at this. We see that the man is wearing a zipped-up jacket with wires sticking out from the bottom. The man fights his tears as he continues to read.)  
_ ** **YOUNG MAN: Carl laughed at me, so I stopped him laughing.   
** **_(John comes out of the office and walks closer to Sherlock, looking at him in concern.)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK _(into phone)_ : And you've stolen another voice, I presume.   
**

**YOUNG MAN: This is about you and me.   
**

**_(A bus noisily drives past him.)  
_ **

**SHERLOCK: Who _are_ you?   
**

**_(More traffic goes past.)  
_ **

**SHERLOCK: What's that noise?   
**

**_(The man looks down at the pager, still struggling not to weep.)  
_ **

**YOUNG MAN: The sounds of life, Sherlock. **

**Finally, we get a clear view of where the man is. He is standing on a large traffic island at Piccadilly Circus. Pedestrians are walking past him, taking no notice of a distressed tearful man, as is the won't of Londoners.**

Mrs Hudson huffed in annoyance when she noticed that no one was taking notice of the crying man. The others all flinching, wondering if they would notice someone crying in the middle of the street.

**YOUNG MAN _(reading from the pager)_ : But don't worry ...   
_(He looks down in tearful horror when he sees a red laser point on his jacket.)_   
YOUNG MAN: ... I can soon fix that.   
_(He cries briefly, then continues to read the pager message.)_   
YOUNG MAN: You solved my last puzzle in nine hours. This time you have eight.   
_(In the office, Lestrade is talking into the phone.)_   
LESTRADE: Okay ... Great.   
_(Hanging up the phone, he heads towards the door.)_   
LESTRADE: We've found it.   
_(Sherlock's phone has gone dead. He turns and follows Lestrade.)_**

Lestrade winces that he hadn't even noticed anything wrong with Sherlock. He had thought he knew the late Holmes better.

**Close to the river, the police have arrived at a large open space where the car was found. Forensics officers in protective clothing are working on the car as Lestrade leads Sherlock towards it. John and Sally Donovan are walking along behind them.**

**LESTRADE _(consulting some notes)_ : The car was hired yesterday morning by an Ian Monkford. Banker of some kind; City boy. Paid in cash.   
_(Sherlock looks closely as they pass a woman talking with a female police officer.)_   
LESTRADE: Told his wife he was going away on a business trip, but he never arrived.   
_(As Sherlock and Lestrade reach the passenger door of the car, Sally turns to John.)_   
DONOVAN: You're still hanging round him.   
JOHN: Yeah, well ...   
DONOVAN: Opposites attract, I suppose.   
JOHN: No, we're not ... **

John sighs in annoyance while the others, minus Mycroft, Morarity and Kitty of course.

**DONOVAN: You should get yourself a hobby – stamps, maybe. Model trains. Safer. **

**She goes to stand beside Lestrade while Sherlock leans into the car to look at the large amount of blood smeared over the island between the two front seats. He opens the glove box.**

**LESTRADE: Before you ask, yes, it's Monkford's blood. The DNA checks out.   
_(Sherlock finds a business card in the glove box and takes it out. Closing the lid he straightens up.)_   
SHERLOCK: No body.   
DONOVAN: Not yet.   
SHERLOCK _(to Lestrade)_ : Get a sample sent to the lab. **

**Lestrade nods and Sherlock walks away. Lestrade turns to Donovan and looks at her pointedly. She stares back at him indignantly but he holds the look and she grunts in exasperation and stomps away. Sherlock walks over to the woman who was talking with the police officer.**

**SHERLOCK: Mrs Monkford?   
_(She turns to him tearfully.)_   
MRS MONKFORD: Yes.   
_(She looks at him and John, and sighs.)_   
MRS MONKFORD: Sorry, but I've already spoken with two policemen.   
JOHN: No, we're not from the police; we're ...   
_(Sherlock holds out his hand to her, his voice suddenly tearful and tremulous.)_   
SHERLOCK: Sherlock Holmes. Very old friend of your husband's. We, um ...   
_(As she shakes his hand, he looks down as if fighting back his tears.)_   
SHERLOCK: ... we grew up together. **

Kitty stared at the screen in shock, never having seen Sherlock change like that so much. She couldn't help but wonder why everyone here thought Sherlock was so innocent when Sherlock was such a good actor.

**MRS MONKFORD: I'm sorry, who? I don't think he ever mentioned you.   
SHERLOCK _(still tearful)_ : Oh, he _must_ have done. This is ... this is horrible, isn't it?   
_(John looks away, trying somewhat unsuccessfully to keep his face neutral.)_   
SHERLOCK: I mean, I just can't believe it. I only saw him the other day. Same old Ian – not a care in the world.   
_(He smiles tearfully at her.)_   
MRS MONKFORD: Sorry, but my husband has been depressed for months. Who _are_ you?   
_(By now Sherlock has tears running down his cheeks.)_ **

Anderson, Molly, Donovan and Kitty couldn't help but blink, both of them wondering how someone as emotionally stunted as Sherlock could fake cry.

**SHERLOCK: Really strange that he hired a car. Why would he do that? It's a bit suspicious, isn't it?   
**

**MRS MONKFORD: No, it isn't. He forgot to renew the tax on the car, that's all.   
**

**SHERLOCK: Oh, well, that was Ian! That was Ian all over!   
**

**MRS MONKFORD: No it wasn't.   
**

**_(Instantly Sherlock's fake persona drops and he looks at her intensely.)  
_ **

**SHERLOCK: Wasn't it? Interesting.   
**

**_(He turns and walks away. She glares after him as he heads for the police tape with John following. The female police office goes over to her.)  
_ **

**MRS MONKFORD: Who was I talking to?   
**

**JOHN _(to Sherlock as they duck under the tape)_ : Why did you lie to her?   
**

**SHERLOCK _(taking off his gloves to wipe the tears from under his eyes)_ : People don't like telling you things, but they love to contradict you. Past tense, did you notice? **

"That's actually pretty clever, mean, but clever," Anderson mused, he wasn't really that surprised, but he still wanted to comment on it.

**JOHN: Sorry, what?   
**

**SHERLOCK: I referred to her husband in the past tense. She joined in. Bit premature – they've only just found the car.   
**

**JOHN: You think she murdered her husband?   
**

**SHERLOCK: Definitely not. That's not a mistake a murderer would make.   
**

**JOHN: I see. No, I don't. What am I seeing?   
**

**_(As they walk past Donovan, she turns and calls out to John.)  
_ **

**DONOVAN: Fishing! Try fishing! **

"Really?" Lestrade sighed as he stared at the present Donovan, who sighed.

"You know, fishing would be extrememly boring compared to working with Sherlock," Molly pointed out.

**_(John turns around and gives her an exasperated nod before following Sherlock again.)  
_ **

**JOHN: Where now?   
**

**SHERLOCK: Janus Cars.   
**

**_(He hands the business card to John.)  
_ **

**SHERLOCK: Just found this in the glove compartment.  
**

_** SIX HOURS TO GO.   
** _

**JANUS CARS.  
Sherlock and John are in the office of the car hire company. John sits at the other side of the desk to the owner, taking notes while Sherlock looks out into the forecourt. **

**EWERT: Can't see how I can help you, gentlemen.   
JOHN: Mr Monkford hired the car from you yesterday.   
EWERT: Yeah. Lovely motor. Mazda RX-8. Wouldn't mind one of them myself!   
_(Sherlock walks over to the other side of the desk so that he's standing beside Ewert, then points into the forecourt.)_   
SHERLOCK: Is that one?   
_(Ewert turns his head to look and Sherlock immediately looks closely at the side of the man's neck.)_ **

The officers, and Kitty couldn't help but snort at the intesntiy of Sherlock's gaze. It was kind f creepy.

**EWERT: No, they're all Jags. Yeah, I can see you're not a car man, eh?   
_(Sherlock straightens up as Ewert looks round and smiles at John.)_   
SHERLOCK: But, er, surely _you_ can afford one – a Mazda, I mean?   
EWERT: Yeah, it's a fair point. But you know how it is: it's like working in a sweetshop. Once you start picking at the liquorice allsorts, when does it all stop, eh? **

**He starts scratching near the top of his left arm with his right hand. Sherlock looks at him for a moment, then turns away and heads around the room towards the other side of the desk.**

**JOHN: But you didn't know Mr Monkford?   
EWERT: No, he was just a client. Came in here and hired one of my cars. No idea what happened to him. Poor sod.   
_(Sherlock has reached the other side of the desk and stops.)_   
SHERLOCK: Nice holiday, Mr Ewert?   
EWERT: Eh?   
SHERLOCK: You've been away, haven't you?   
EWERT: Oh, the-the ... _(He gestures towards his tanned face.)_ No, it's, er, sunbeds, I'm afraid, yeah. Too busy to get away. My wife would love it, though – bit of sun.   
SHERLOCK: Have you got any change for the cigarette machine? **

"I thought Sherlock didn't use cigarettes," Molly questioned confused. "What about the patches?"

"Keep watching," John responds with a small smile, and Molly nods, blushing slightly. 

**EWERT: What?   
SHERLOCK: Well, I noticed one on the way in and I haven't got any change.   
_(He offers Ewert a bank note.)_   
SHERLOCK: I'm _gasping_.   
EWERT: Um, well ... _(He reaches into his trouser pocket and takes out his wallet.)_ Hmm.   
_(He opens the wallet and looks inside.)_   
EWERT: No, sorry.   
SHERLOCK: Oh well. Thank you very much for your time, Mr Ewert.   
_(He turns and heads for the door.)_   
SHERLOCK: You've been _very_ helpful. Come on, John.   
_(They leave the office and walk across the forecourt.)_   
JOHN: I-I've got change if you still want to, uh ...   
SHERLOCK _(patting his upper left arm)_ : Nicotine patches, remember? I'm doing well.   
JOHN: So what was _that_ all about?   
SHERLOCK: I needed to look inside his wallet. **

"Oh," Molly whispers, grinning slighlty.

**JOHN: Why?   
SHERLOCK: Mr Ewert's a liar.  
**

**_ ST BART'S LAB.   
_ **

**Sherlock has a large drop of blood in a shallow glass dish. Putting the dish onto the desk, he reaches into a small bag of equipment, opens a bottle and siphons out some liquid with a small dropper. Bending down to the dish, he squeezes out a drop of liquid onto the blood, which starts to fizz. As Sherlock straightens up, the pink phone rings. The Caller I.D. reads "BLOCKED". He picks up the phone and answers it.**

**SHERLOCK: Hello?   
YOUNG MAN _(tearfully reading from the pager)_ : The clue's in the name. Janus Cars.   
SHERLOCK: Why would you be giving me a clue?   
YOUNG MAN: Why does anyone do anything? Because I'm bored. We were _made_ for each other, Sherlock. **

"No, John and Sherlock were made for each other," Lestrade announces, sending a teasing look over to a blushing and annoyed looking John.

**SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : Then talk to me in your own voice.   
YOUNG MAN _(tearfully)_ : Patience. **

**The line goes dead. Sherlock lowers the phone and looks thoughtfully into the distance for a while. Finally he looks down at the fizzing liquid in the dish, then picks up the dish and looks at it more closely. He begins to smile.  
** **  
**

_** THREE HOURS TO GO.   
  
** _

**_ POLICE CAR POUND.   
_ **

**Sherlock, John and Lestrade are standing around Monkford's car.**

**SHERLOCK: How much blood was on that seat, would you say?   
LESTRADE: How much? About a pint.   
SHERLOCK: Not 'about.' _Exactly_ a pint. That was their first mistake. The blood's definitely Ian Monkford's but it's been frozen.   
LESTRADE: Frozen?   
SHERLOCK: There are clear signs. I think Ian Monkford gave a pint of his blood some time ago and that's what they spread on the seats.   
JOHN: _Who_ did?   
SHERLOCK: Janus Cars. The clue's in the name.   
JOHN: The god with two faces. **

"How did you know that?" Kitty questions in shock. John sent her an annoyed look, not wanting to answer that, not because of the question but because of the annoying person asking it.

**SHERLOCK: Exactly.   
JOHN: Mmm.   
SHERLOCK _(to Lestrade)_ : They provide a very special service. If you've got any kind of a problem – money troubles, bad marriage, whatever – Janus Cars will help you disappear. Ian Monkford was up to his eyes in some kind of trouble – financial, at a guess; he's a banker. Couldn't see a way out. But if he were to vanish, if the car he hired was found abandoned with his blood all over the driver's seat ...   
JOHN: So where is he?   
SHERLOCK _(closing the car door)_ : Colombia.   
LESTRADE: _Colombia_?!   
SHERLOCK: Mr Ewert of Janus Cars had a twenty thousand Colombian peso note in his wallet ...   
_(Flashback to Ewert opening his wallet and Sherlock seeing the foreign note inside.)_   
SHERLOCK: ... Quite a bit of change, too. He told us he hadn't been abroad recently, but when I asked him about the cars, I could see his tan line clearly.   
_(Flashback to Sherlock pointing out the window and Ewert turning his head to look while Sherlock sees that his tan finishes at his neck.)_   
SHERLOCK: No-one wears a shirt on a sunbed. That, plus his arm.   
LESTRADE: His arm?   
SHERLOCK: Kept scratching it. Obviously irritating him, and bleeding.   
_(Flashback to a close-up of Ewert scratching his upper arm, and a drop of blood on his shirt sleeve.)_   
SHERLOCK: Why? Because he'd recently had a booster jab. Hep-B, probably. **

"How the hell can he just tell that?" Donovan questions, needing to put words to her confusion.

"Honestly, nothing Sherlock does anymore could surprise me," Anderson muses.

**SHERLOCK: Difficult to tell at that distance. Conclusion: he'd just come back from settling Ian Monkford into his new life in Colombia. Mrs Monkford cashes in the life insurance and she splits it with Janus Cars.**

**JOHN: M- _Mrs_ Monkford?   
SHERLOCK: Oh yes. She's in on it too.   
_(Lestrade lowers his head with a look of amazement on his face.)_   
SHERLOCK: Now go and arrest them, Inspector. That's what you do best.   
_(He turns to John.)_   
SHERLOCK: _We_ need to let our friendly bomber know that the case is solved.   
_(He turns and leads John away. Lestrade watches them, still reeling at all the information that he has just been given. Sherlock clenches his fists triumphantly at his sides as he goes.)_   
SHERLOCK: I am on _fire!_**

Kitty gives on-screen Sherlock a look of disgust while the others sigh in sadness at Sherlock's behaviour, but they weren't even slightly surprised.

**_ 221B BAKER STREET  
_ **

**Sitting at the living room table in their coats – presumably because the heating still can't be turned on nor the fire lit after the 'gas leak' (and because the windows are still broken and boarded up) – Sherlock types a new message onto The Science of Deduction:**

**Congratulations to Ian Monkford on his relocation to Colombia.**

**He sends the message. A few seconds later another 'blocked' phone call comes in on the pink phone lying on the table beside the computer. Sherlock switches on the speaker.**

**YOUNG MAN _(tearfully, over speaker)_ : He says you can come and fetch me. Help. Help me, please.   
_(Shortly afterwards, police officers are running towards the young man from all directions.)_**

They all sigh in relief as they see the young man being saved.  
  


**MORNING.  
The boys are sitting opposite each other at a table in a café (not Speedy's). John is tucking into a cooked breakfast and has a mug of tea in front of him while Sherlock is drumming his fingers impatiently on the table waiting for the pink phone – which is lying on the table – to ring. **

**SHERLOCK: Feeling better?   
JOHN: Mmm. You realise we've hardly stopped for breath since this thing started?   
_(He eats another forkful of food, then looks thoughtful.)_   
JOHN: Has it occurred to you ...?   
SHERLOCK: Probably.   
JOHN: No – has it occurred to you that the bomber's playing a game with you? The envelope; breaking into the other flat; the dead kid's shoes – it's all meant for you.   
SHERLOCK _(smiling slightly)_ : Yes, I know. **

Kitty's nose scrunched up in disgust at Sherlock's delight at this situation. While the others, for what seemed like the hundredth time sighed in disappointment at Sherlock's behaviour but not surprised.

**JOHN: Is it him, then? Moriarty?   
SHERLOCK: Perhaps. **

**The pink phone beeps a message alert. Sherlock switches it on and it sounds two short Greenwich pips followed by the longer tone, and a photograph of a smiling middle-aged woman appears on the screen.**

**SHERLOCK: That could be anybody.   
JOHN: Well, it _could_ be, yeah. Lucky for you, I've been more than a little unemployed. **

"Don't you work with Sherlock?" Kitty questioned, "you're solving cases with the Police often enough, isn't that a job?"

"Yeah but, Sherlock doesn't get paid for helping the infrequent cases from the officers, and the small cases he does get paid for, I don't help with very much," John explains.

**SHERLOCK: How d'you mean?   
JOHN: Lucky for you, Mrs Hudson and I watch far too much telly. **

**He stands up and walks over to the counter. Smiling at the woman behind the counter, he picks up a remote control and switches on the small television hung on the wall. He changes channels a couple of times until he finds what he wants. The woman from the photograph is on the screen, partway through her make-over show. She is gesturing to someone just offscreen.**

**CONNIE: Thank you, Tyra! Doesn't she look lovely, everybody, _now_?   
_(The pink phone rings.)_   
CONNIE: Anyway, speaking of silk purses and sows' ears ...   
_(Sherlock picks up the phone and holds it to his ear.)_   
SHERLOCK: Hello?   
_(An old woman speaks tremulously in a Yorkshire accent.)_   
OLD WOMAN: This one ... is a bit ... defective. Sorry.   
_(We see a close-up of the woman, who is wearing an earpiece.)_   
OLD WOMAN: She's blind. This is ... a funny one. **

**John walks back to the table. At the old woman's location, the camera pulls out to show that she too is strapped to a bomb. Wearing a warm dressing gown and sitting up in bed she is holding a phone to the ear which doesn't have the earpiece in and she is staring blankly ahead of herself as she narrates the words being spoken through the earpiece.**

The group, expect for Mycroft and Moriarty all wince as they see the old woman. Espically those who now how this ends. **  
**

**OLD WOMAN: I'll give you ... twelve hours.   
_(Sherlock looks at John as he sits down.)_   
SHERLOCK _(into phone)_ : Why are you doing this?   
OLD WOMAN: I like ... to watch you ... dance. **

**As she finishes speaking, she gasps and sobs in terror. Even though she cannot see it, there is still a laser point from a sniper's rifle running over her body.**

Molly finds tears in her eyes as she stares at the scene in front of her, shuffling slightly into Mrs Hudson's embrace. 

**Sherlock lowers the phone and shakes his head at John, then drops the phone onto the table as he turns to look at the TV.**

**CONNIE _(on the TV)_ : ... and I see you're back to your bad habits.   
_(As the footage continues, a voiceover replaces her voice and a news headline at the bottom of the screen reads:_ Make-over Queen Connie Prince dead at 48 _.)_   
NEWS READER: ... continuing into the sudden death of the popular TV personality, Connie Prince. Miss Prince, famous for her make-over programmes, was found dead two days ago by her brother in the house they shared in Hampstead ...  
  
**

**_BART'S MORGUE._  
Connie Prince's body has been laid out on a table in the morgue, with a sheet covering her leaving only her head, arms and upper chest bare. Lestrade leads the boys into the room, reading from a file as he goes. **

**LESTRADE: Connie Prince, fifty-four. She had one of those make-over shows on the telly. Did you see it?   
SHERLOCK: No. **

"Did you really think there was even a chance that Sherlock would watch television for anything but the news?" Anderson questioned, teasing Lestrade ever so slightly. Lestrade huffs.

**LESTRADE: Very popular. She was going places.   
SHERLOCK: Not any more. So: dead two days. According to one of her staff, Raoul de Santos, she cut her hand on a rusty nail in the garden. Nasty wound.   
_(He and John look at the deep cut in the webbing between her right thumb and index finger.)_   
SHERLOCK: Tetanus bacteria enters the bloodstream – good night Vienna.   
JOHN: I suppose.   
SHERLOCK: Something's wrong with this picture.   
LESTRADE: Eh?   
SHERLOCK: Can't be as simple as it seems, otherwise the bomber wouldn't be directing us towards it. Something's wrong. **

"Please tell them you actually knew that it wasn't an accident and you were just humoring Sherlock," Donovan pressed. Lestrade shrugs.

"I kind of knew, but figured I would make sure Sherlock agreed, just in case." Lestrade explains. 

**He narrows his eyes as he looks down at the body, then bends closer to look along Connie's right arm as he takes his magnifier from his pocket. There are several scratches on her upper arm which look like claw marks. He moves up to her face and notices some tiny pinpricks on her forehead just above her nose. He looks at them through the magnifier.**

**SHERLOCK: John?   
JOHN: Mmm.   
SHERLOCK: The cut on her hand: it's deep; would have bled a lot, right?   
JOHN: Yeah.   
SHERLOCK: But the wound's clean – _very_ clean, and fresh.   
_(He looks up, his eyes flickering while he thinks it through, then straightens up and clicks the magnifier closed.)_   
SHERLOCK: How long would the bacteria have been incubating inside her?   
JOHN: Eight, ten days.   
_(Sherlock quirks a one-sided grin and turns to John, waiting for him to put it all together. It doesn't take him long.)_   
JOHN: The cut was made later.   
LESTRADE: After she was dead? **

"Obviously," Mycroft drawled, because what else was it going to be.

**SHERLOCK: Must have been. The only question is, how did the tetanus enter the dead woman's system?   
_(John looks along the body thoughtfully.)_   
SHERLOCK: You want to help, right?   
JOHN: Of course.   
SHERLOCK: Connie Prince's background – family history, everything. Give me data.   
JOHN: Right.   
_(He turns and leaves the room. Sherlock looks down at Connie's body one more time, then turns and heads towards the door.)_   
LESTRADE: There's something else that we haven't thought of.   
SHERLOCK _(casually)_ : Is there?   
LESTRADE: Yes. Why is he _doing_ this, the bomber?   
_(Sherlock stops, keeping his back to the inspector and looking a little anxious.)_ **

"Am I imagining things, or does Sherlock look a little anxious to you?" Donovan questions in shock, at seeing the 'Freak' show any emotion expect for confidance. 

**LESTRADE: If this woman's death was suspicious, why point it out?   
SHERLOCK _(nonchalantly, over his shoulder)_ : Good Samaritan.   
_(He tries to move away but Lestrade persists.)_   
LESTRADE: ... who press-gangs suicide bombers?   
SHERLOCK: _Bad_ Samaritan.   
LESTRADE: I'm – I'm serious, Sherlock. Listen: I'm cutting you slack here; I'm trusting you – but out there somewhere, some poor bastard's covered in Semtex and is just waiting for you to solve the puzzle. So just tell me: what are we dealing with?   
_(Sherlock looks away thoughtfully, then smiles with delight.)_   
SHERLOCK: Something new.**

Once again Kitty scrunched up her face in disgust, while John huffed in amusement.  
  


**EIGHT HOURS TO GO.  
The old woman sits quietly in her bed while the sniper – who must really love his job, considering that the woman can't see what he's doing – continues to keep his rifle's laser trained on her. **

Any good mood was instantly gone when they notice the woman in sadness, wishing they could do something to help.  
  


**SEVERAL HOURS LATER. 221B.  
The wall behind the sofa is covered with paperwork: maps, photographs of Connie Prince – both when she was alive and pictures taken in the morgue – photos of Carl Powers, press cuttings and various sheets of paper with notes scribbled on them. Pieces of string are pinned between some of the exhibits, linking them together. Sherlock is pacing back and forth in front of the sofa while Lestrade stands nearby. **

**SHERLOCK _(under his breath)_ : Connection, connection, connection. There _must_ be a connection.   
_(He stops and gestures towards various spots on the display on the wall as he speaks.)_   
SHERLOCK: Carl Powers, killed twenty years ago. The bomber _knew_ him; _admitted_ that he knew him. The bomber's iPhone was in stationery from the Czech Republic. First hostage from Cornwall; the second from London; the third from Yorkshire, judging by her accent. What's he doing – working his way round the world? Showing off? **

**The pink phone rings. He takes it from his pocket and sees that the Caller I.D. again reads _"NUMBER BLOCKED"_. He switches on the speaker, and the old woman begins to narrate what's being said into her earpiece.**

**OLD WOMAN: You're enjoying this, aren't you? Joining the ... dots.   
_(She sobs.)_   
OLD WOMAN: Three hours: boom ... boom. **

**She cries in terror, then the phone goes dead. Sherlock looks at Lestrade for a moment, then switches off the phone, puts it back in his pocket and raises his hands to his mouth in the prayer position, concentrating on the wall in front of him.**

"Is he actually concerned or just concentrating?" Anderson couldn't help but question, his tone not accusing but just confused. Everyone narrows their eyes at Sherlock as they try it figure out. No one had an answer by the time that the next scene plays.  
  


**_KENNY PRINCE'S HOUSE._  
In a beautifully and elegantly decorated house, a hairless cat meows as it wanders about on a sofa in the living room. Kenny Prince, a man in his late fifties who is wearing a very fancy purple shirt which'll never rival Sherlock's, comes into the room. Behind him the much younger and far more dishy 'houseboy' Raoul stops at the doorway and gestures to John to go in. **

**KENNY: We're devastated. Of _course_ we are. **

**As John walks into the living room, Kenny reaches the other side of the room and turns back, propping his arm on the mantelpiece. Looking a little uncomfortable, John sits down on the sofa beside the cat.**

**RAOUL: Can I get you anything, sir?   
JOHN: Er, no. No, thanks.   
_(Raoul looks across the room to Kenny, who smiles at him. Raoul returns the smile, then turns and leaves the room.)_   
KENNY: Raoul is my rock. I don't think I could have managed.   
_(He looks down sadly.)_   
KENNY: We didn't always see eye to eye, but my sister was very dear to me.   
_(The cat has climbed onto John's lap and meows loudly in protest when he picks it up and puts it down beside him.)_   
JOHN: And – and to the public, Mr Prince.   
KENNY: Oh, she was adored. I've seen her take girls who looked like the back end of Routemasters and turn them into princesses.   
_(John looks down in frustration as the cat climbs into his lap again.)_ **

The officers, Molly and Mrs Hudson all chuckle in amusement at John's annoyance to the cat.

**KENNY: Still, it's a relief in a way to know that she's beyond this vale of tears.   
_(John is nervously holding the cat while it purrs contentedly on his lap.)_ **

John blushes as everyone laughs at him.

**JOHN _(awkwardly)_ : Absolutely.  
  
**

**_ 221B BAKER STREET.   
_ **

**Mrs Hudson has joined Sherlock and Lestrade and is standing between them as they face the paper-covered wall. Sherlock is talking into his own phone.**

**SHERLOCK: Great. ... Thank you. Thanks again.   
_(He turns and walks towards the fireplace, still talking into the phone. Mrs Hudson looks sadly at a photo of Connie on the wall.)_   
MRS HUDSON: It was a real shame. I liked her. She taught you how to do your colours.   
_(Lestrade – who had turned and was watching Sherlock on the other side of the room – now turns back to Mrs H.)_   
LESTRADE: Colours?   
MRS HUDSON: You know ... _(she gestures down at her clothes)_ ... what goes best with what. I should never wear cerise, apparently. Drains me.   
_(Sherlock has just finished his conversation and walks back to join the others.)_   
LESTRADE: Who was that?   
SHERLOCK _(staring at the wall)_ : Home Office.   
LESTRADE _(surprised)_ : Home Office?   
SHERLOCK: Well, Home Secretary, actually. Owes me a favour.   
MRS HUDSON _(looking at a photo on the wall of Connie holding an award which presumably she won for her show)_ : She was a pretty girl but she messed about with herself too much. They _all_ do these days.   
_(She looks round at Lestrade.)_   
MRS HUDSON: People can hardly move their faces. It's silly, isn't it?!   
_(She giggles, and Lestrade smiles politely. She turns to Sherlock.)_   
MRS HUDSON: Did you ever see her show?   
SHERLOCK: Not until now. **

"Why do people keep thinking that _Sherlock_ would watch a tv show?" Anderson questions in shock.

"To be fair, me and Mrs Hudson would always watch it, so Sherlock might have ended up seeing it when he came to talk to us," John pointed out. Anderson nods slightly and hums.

**He turns and picks up his computer notebook and opens it. A video starts to play, showing footage of an episode of Connie's make-over show. She is talking to her brother in the TV studio.**

**CONNIE: You look _pasty_ , love!   
KENNY: Ah. _(He looks at the audience.)_ Rained every day but one!   
MRS HUDSON: That's the brother. No love lost there, if you can believe the papers.   
SHERLOCK: So I gather. I've just been having a very fruitful chat with people who loved this show. Fan sites – indispensible for gossip. **

Anderson, Donovan and Kitty can't help but blink in surprise as they stared at Sherlock. He went on a fan site. They knew that it was for a case but still, it was surprising in a funny kind of way.

**CONNIE _(gesturing to the clothes which her brother is wearing)_ : There's really only one thing we can do with that ensemble, don't you think, girls?   
_(She stands up and claps her hands rhythmically as she begins to chant.)_   
CONNIE: Off! Off! Off! Off! **

**The audience takes up the chant and the clapping. By the third, "Off!" Connie is rhythmically beating her hands quite hard onto Kenny's back as he drops his jacket to the floor and starts to unbutton his shirt. He grimaces in pain but then turns a false smile towards the audience.**

Molly and Mrs Hudson huffs in sadness when they notice the grimace. How could anyone be that mean to their own brother?  
  


**_ KENNY PRINCE'S HOUSE.   
_ ** **Kenny is still standing by the fireplace, looking thoughtfully at a framed photograph of Connie holding her TV award. John is sitting on the sofa looking down at his notebook as he talks.**

**JOHN: It's more common than people think. The tetanus is in the soil, people cut themselves on rose bushes, garden forks, that sort of thing. If left un...   
_(He looks up in surprise when Kenny – who has walked across the room unnoticed – now plonks heavily down onto the sofa beside him and stares at him intensely.)_   
JOHN: ...treated ...   
KENNY: I don't know what I'm going to _do_ now.   
JOHN _(a little nervously)_ : Right. **

"You really need to get better at lying John," Lestrade teases, John blushes and looks sheepishly at the ground.

**KENNY: I mean, she's left me this place, which is lovely ...   
_(John looks around the living room with his eyes narrowed, apparently not agreeing how 'lovely' the place might be.)_   
KENNY: ... but it's not the same without her.   
JOHN _(fidgeting as he tries to move further away from Kenny, but unable to do so)_ : Th-that's why my paper wanted to get the, um, the full story straight from the horse's mouth. You sure it's not too soon?   
KENNY: No.   
JOHN: Right.   
KENNY _(still staring intensely at him)_ : You fire away. **

**The cat meows and trots across the carpet. Watching it, John reaches up to rub the side of his nose. As he pulls his hand away again he suddenly realises something and quickly raises his hand to his nose once more, pretending to rub it while he quietly sniffs at his fingers and looks towards the cat again. He smiles round nervously at Kenny.**

"John, subtly!" Lestrade laughs slightly at John who just blushes even more, the officers laughing even more.

**_ 221B BAKER STREET.   
_ ** **Mrs Hudson has left the room but Sherlock and Lestrade are still standing in front of the wall display. Sherlock's phone rings and he fishes it out of his jacket pocket, looks quickly at the Caller I.D. and then holds the phone to his ear.**

**SHERLOCK: John.   
JOHN _(over phone)_ : Hi. Look, get over here quickly. I think I'm onto something. You'll need to pick up some stuff first. You got a pen?   
SHERLOCK: I'll remember**


	14. The Great Game (01x03 part 3/4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

 ** _SOMETIME LATER_** **  
Kenny is primping in front of the mirror near the fireplace. Nearby, the entrance door shuts and, on the sofa, John puts down his teacup and starts to get up.**

**JOHN: That'll be him. **   
**KENNY: What? **

**Raoul shows Sherlock into the room. Sherlock has a large bag over his shoulder and is carrying a long narrow case which is presumably designed to hold a photographic tripod. He walks over to Kenny.**

**SHERLOCK: Ah, Mr Prince, isn't it? **   
**KENNY: Yes. **   
**SHERLOCK: Very good to meet you. **   
**KENNY: Yes; thank you. **   
**_(They shake hands, Sherlock looking closely at Kenny's hand as he does so.)_ **   
**SHERLOCK: So sorry to hear about ...   
KENNY: Yes, yes, very kind.   
JOHN: Shall we, er ...   
_(Sherlock walks over to the sofa, puts down the case and starts rummaging in his bag. Kenny turns back to the mirror and fiddles with his hair again.)_   
JOHN _(quietly)_ : You were right. The bacteria got into her another way.   
SHERLOCK _(smirking)_ : Oh yes? **

"Aww his proud of you," Anderson teases causing a blush to form on John's face.

**JOHN: Yes.   
KENNY _(turning towards them)_ : Right. We all set?   
JOHN: Um, yes.   
_(He looks at Sherlock, who has taken a camera and flashgun from his bag, and jerks his head towards Kenny.)_   
JOHN: Can you ...?   
_(As Kenny leans one arm on the mantelpiece and poses, Sherlock walks closer and starts taking photographs of him.)_   
KENNY: Not too close. I'm raw from crying.   
_(The cat meows at Sherlock's feet. He looks down.)_   
SHERLOCK: Oh, who's this?   
KENNY: Sekhmet. Named after the Egyptian goddess.   
SHERLOCK: How nice(!) Was she Connie's?   
KENNY: Yes.   
_(John reaches down towards the cat but Kenny beats him to it, bending down and picking it up.)_   
KENNY: Little present from yours truly.   
_(Frustrated, John straightens up, then looks at his flatmate.)_   
JOHN: Sherlock? Uh, light reading?   
SHERLOCK: Oh, um ...   
_(He lifts a second flashgun which he is holding in his other hand and holds it towards Kenny, firing it straight into his face.)_   
SHERLOCK: Two point eight.   
_(Kenny squinches his eyes shut against the light.)_   
KENNY: Bloody hell. What do you think you're playing at?!   
_(John immediately reaches out and rubs his fingers over one of the cat's front paws. Sherlock keeps firing the flashgun to keep Kenny's eyes closed.)_ **

A couple of people, mainly the Officers all chuckle at Sherlock and John's antics, and the annoyed face of Kenny.

**SHERLOCK: Sorry.   
_(John lifts his fingers away and sniffs them while Sherlock continues to fire the flashgun.)_   
KENNY: You're like Laurel and bloody Hardy, you two. What's going on?   
JOHN: Actually, I think we've _got_ what we came for. Excuse us.   
KENNY: What?   
JOHN: Sherlock.   
SHERLOCK: What?   
JOHN _(grabbing the case from the sofa and heading for the door)_ : We've got deadlines.   
_(Sherlock follows after him.)_   
KENNY: But you've not taken anything!   
_(Ignoring him, the boys hurry out of the living room and let themselves out of the house. John chuckles delightedly as they walk down the drive and head towards the main road.)_   
JOHN: Yes! Ooh, yes! **

"You're so proud of yourself," Lestrade teases. John flushes slightly, his head bowing.

**SHERLOCK _(smiling)_ : You think it was the cat. It wasn't the cat.   
JOHN: What? No, yes. Yeah, it _is_. It _must_ be. It's how they got the tetanus into her system. Its paws stink of disinfectant.   
SHERLOCK _(still smiling)_ : Lovely idea.   
JOHN: No, he coated it onto the paws of her cat. It's a new pet – bound to be a bit jumpy around her. A scratch is almost inevitable. She wouldn't have ...   
SHERLOCK _(interrupting)_ : I thought of it the minute I saw the scratches on her arm, but it's too random and too clever for the brother.   
_(John chuckles again.)_   
JOHN: He murdered his sister for her money.   
SHERLOCK: Did he?   
JOHN _(looking at him)_ : Didn't he?   
SHERLOCK: No. It was revenge. **

Anderson, Lestrade and Donovan all wince in empthay at John's rapidly dispairing look. Remembering what it was like to have Sherlock tell you that your best theory was bad. 

**JOHN: Revenge? Who wanted revenge?   
SHERLOCK: Raoul, the houseboy. Kenny Prince was the butt of his sister's jokes, week in, week out, a virtual bullying campaign. Finally, he had enough; fell out with her badly. It's all on the website. She threatened to disinherit Kenny. Raoul had grown accustomed to a certain lifestyle, so ...   
JOHN _(stopping and turning to him)_ : No, wait, wait. Wait a second.   
_(Sherlock stops as well.)_   
JOHN: What about the disinfectant, then, on the cat's claws?   
SHERLOCK: Raoul keeps a very clean house. You came through the kitchen door, saw the state of that floor, scrubbed to within an inch of its life. _You_ smell of disinfectant now. No, the cat doesn't come into it.   
_(John pulls his jacket up to sniff at it as Sherlock looks towards the main road.)_   
**

**SHERLOCK: Raoul's internet records do, though. Hope we can get a cab from here.   
**

**_(He walks off. John sighs in exasperation and a touch of disappointment that he hadn't solved the case for once. He glares towards his friend's back and then follows him.)_ **

"It was a good guess," Anderson piped up, giving John an encourging smile.

"Definetely better than I would have guessed," Molly murmured. She knew that she didn't have a lot of experience in that thing, but even she thought it was a good guess.   
  


**ONE HOUR TO GO  
Still sitting in her bed, the old woman cries in despair. **

Everyone's faces immediantly drop, a sad sigh on their face. Especially for those who remembered how it ended.  
  


**_ EVENING/NIGHT TIME - NEW SCOTLAND YARD  
_ ** **Sherlock walks into the main office brandishing a folder at Lestrade.**

**SHERLOCK: Raoul de Santos is your killer. Kenny Prince's houseboy. Second autopsy shows it wasn't tetanus that poisoned Connie Prince – it was botulinum toxin.   
_(He puts the folder on the desk. As Lestrade reaches for it, Sherlock leans closer to him.)_   
SHERLOCK: We've been here before. Carl Powers? Tut-tut. Our bomber's repeated himself.   
_(Lestrade walks towards his office, Sherlock following. John stares at them in surprise.)_   
LESTRADE: So how'd he do it?   
SHERLOCK: Botox injection.   
_(Flashback to Sherlock examining the tiny pinpricks in Connie's forehead.)_   
LESTRADE _(turning back to him)_ : Botox?   
SHERLOCK: Botox is a diluted form of botulinum. Among other things, Raoul de Santos was employed to give Connie her regular facial injections. My contact at the Home Office gave me the complete records of Raoul's internet purchases. _(He points to the folder.)_ He's been bulk ordering Botox for months.   
_(Nearby, John has continued to stare at Sherlock, and his expression is becoming more angry.)_ **

"Why are you getting so angry?" Kitty questioned, John had always been Sherlock's fan. Sherlock had just 'solved' a case, she couldn't understand why John wasn't congratulating him. John shots her an annoyed look, but doesn't respond, mostly out of spite.

**SHERLOCK _(oblivious to this)_ : Bided his time, then upped the strength to a fatal dose.   
LESTRADE: You sure about this?   
SHERLOCK: I'm sure.   
LESTRADE: All right – my office.   
_(He turns and walks towards his office. Sherlock starts to follow but John stops him.)_   
JOHN: Hey, Sherlock. How long?   
SHERLOCK: What?   
JOHN: How long have you known?   
SHERLOCK: Well, this one was quite simple, actually, and like I said, the bomber repeated himself. _That_ was a mistake.   
_(He tries to walk towards Lestrade's office but again John stops him.)_   
JOHN: No, but Sherl... The hostage... the _old woman_. She's been there all this time.   
SHERLOCK _(leaning closer and looking at him intensely)_ : I _knew_ I could save her. I also knew that the bomber had given us _twelve_ hours. I solved the case quickly; that gave me time to get on with other things. Don't you _see_? We're one up on him!   
** **_(He heads into Lestrade's office. John purses his lips in frustration, then follows.)_ **

Kitty hisses in disgust, not understanding how these people could support Sherlock. Everyone else sighs at Sherlock's behaviour. **  
**

**Shortly afterwards, Sherlock is sitting at Lestrade's desk where a laptop has been opened to The Science of Deduction website. John and Lestrade are standing either side of him. Sherlock types into the message box:**

**_Raoul de Santos, the house-boy, botox._ **

**He sends the message and the pink phone on the desk beside the computer rings almost instantly. He picks it up and holds the phone to his ear.**

**SHERLOCK: Hello?   
OLD WOMAN _(in an anguished voice)_ : _Help_ me.   
SHERLOCK _(clearly)_ : Tell us where you are. Address.   
OLD WOMAN: He was so ... His voice ...   
SHERLOCK _(urgently)_ : No, no, no, no. Tell me nothing about him. _Nothing._   
OLD WOMAN: He sounded so ... soft. **

"No," John couldn't help but murmur.

"Shut up!" Lestrade hisses at the same time.

A few people glance over at them in confusion, with Moriarity smirking in the corner.

**The laser point from the sniper's rifle moves onto the bomb. A single shot fires and the phone instantly goes dead.**

"Oh my god," Molly gasps, a hand going to cover her mouth. Tears quickly filling her eyes. The otehrs all shake their heads, sadness filling them. And with Lestrade and John, also guilt at not being able to save her in time.

Glancing backwards, John glares towards Moriarty, bringing everyone's attention to the man's smirk.

**SHERLOCK _(into phone)_ : Hello?   
LESTRADE _(seeing his expression)_ : Sherlock?   
JOHN: What's happened? **

**Slowly, staring ahead of himself, Sherlock lowers the phone from his ear. He bites his lip as Lestrade – realising that something bad must have happened – straightens up and sighs. John braces a hand on the back of Sherlock's chair.**

**_MORNING - 221B_  
Sherlock and John are sitting in their armchairs watching the news on the TV. Sherlock has the pink phone on the left arm of his chair. The windows are still broken and boarded up and the traffic is loud outside. On the TV, the picture shows a high-rise block of flats and the headline at the bottom of the screen reads, "12 dead in gas explosion." The picture moves to a close-up, showing a corner of the building many floors up which has been torn open and exposed to the air. **

**NEWS READER: The explosion, which ripped through several floors, killing twelve people ...  
** **_(John briefly glancing over his shoulder to Sherlock)_ ** **  
JOHN: Old block of flats.   
NEWS READER: ... is said to have been caused by a faulty gas main. A spokesman from the utilities company ...   
JOHN: _He_ certainly gets about.   
SHERLOCK: Well, obviously I lost that round – although technically I did solve the case. **

"I don't think that's the point, Sherlock," Mrs Hudson sighs, but no one in the room is surprised that Sherlock focus on the case and not on the people dead.

**_(He picks up the remote control and mutes the volume. Lowering his hand again he looks thoughtfully into the distance.)_   
SHERLOCK: He killed the old lady because she started to describe him.   
_(He raises a finger on his other hand.)_   
SHERLOCK: Just once, he put himself in the firing line.   
JOHN: What d'you mean?   
SHERLOCK: Well, usually, he must stay above it all. He organises these things but no-one ever has direct contact.   
JOHN: What ... like the Connie Prince murder – he-he arranged that? So people come to him wanting their crimes fixed up, like booking a holiday?   
SHERLOCK _(softly, his face full of admiration)_ : Novel. **

Scrunching her face up in revolution, Kitty shakes her head at the man on the screen. She couldn't understand why everyone was so calm about this, simply shaking their heads and not getting mad. Her eyes flicker to Moriarty, hoping to see someone else disgusted, but the male was smirking. Kitty frowned at him before turning away.

**_(John looks at him in disbelief, then turns and looks at the TV screen again, which has moved on to a new story.)_   
JOHN: Huh. **

**He jerks a finger towards the screen and Sherlock looks up to see Raoul de Santos being bundled out of Kenny's house by police officers. The press are there and are shoving each other as they struggle to get close to Raoul and take photographs while interviewers shout questions. The headline on the screen reads: _"Connie Prince: man arrested."_ Raoul is shoved into the back of a police car. John looks round at Sherlock, who is looking down at the pink phone.**

**SHERLOCK: Taking his time this time. **

**John looks away, clearing his throat uncomfortably. On the TV, the camera is focussing on Kenny who is standing at the window of his house, holding Sekhmet in his arms and watching the chaos outside.**

"I feel sorry for him," Molly murmurs. "Finding out that he had killed his sister when he needed everyone he could get would have been heartbreaking," Molly explains at the curious looks people sent to her. The others all nod in agreement.

**JOHN: Anything on the Carl Powers case?   
SHERLOCK: Nothing. All the living classmates check out spotless. No connection.   
JOHN: Maybe the killer was older than Carl?   
SHERLOCK: The thought had occurred.   
JOHN: So why's he doing this, then – playing this game with you? D'you think he wants to be caught?   
_(Sherlock presses his fingertips together in front of his mouth and smiles slightly.)_   
SHERLOCK: I think he wants to be distracted.   
_(John laughs humourlessly, gets out of his chair and heads towards the kitchen.)_   
JOHN: I hope you'll be very happy together. **

"I thought you two were together," Lestrade teases. John huffs shaking his head.

"We were never together!" John hisses, and that definitely wasn't a tinge of bitterness in John's voice. Nope totally not.

**SHERLOCK: Sorry, what?   
_(John turns back, furious, and leans his hands on the back of his chair.)_   
JOHN: There are lives at stake, Sherlock – actual _human_ lives... Just – just so I know, do you care about that at all?   
SHERLOCK _(irritably)_ : Will caring about them help save them?   
JOHN: Nope.   
SHERLOCK: Then I'll continue not to make that mistake. **

"Oh Sherlock" Mrs Hudson sighs, staring at the boy who was like a son to her. Wishing she could find some way to go back in time and help him before things become to late.

**JOHN: And you find that easy, do you?   
SHERLOCK: Yes, very. Is that news to you?   
JOHN: No. _(He smiles bitterly.)_ No.   
** **_(They lock eyes for a moment.)  
_ **

**SHERLOCK: I've disappointed you.   
**

**JOHN _(still smiling angrily as he points at him sarcastically)_ : That's good – that's a good deduction, yeah.   
**

**SHERLOCK: _Don't_ make people into heroes, John. Heroes don't exist, and if they did, I wouldn't be one of them. **

"No kidding" Kitty mutters under her breath.

**_(They stare at each other for a second but then the pink phone sounds a message alert.)_   
SHERLOCK: Excellent!   
_(He picks up the phone and activates it. The phone sounds one short pip and the long tone, and a photograph appears showing a river bank.)_   
SHERLOCK: View of the Thames. South Bank – somewhere between Southwark Bridge and Waterloo.   
_(He reaches into his jacket for his own phone.)_   
SHERLOCK: You check the papers; I'll look online ...   
_(He looks up and sees that John is standing with his hands braced on the back of his chair and his head lowered.)_   
SHERLOCK: Oh, you're angry with me, so you won't help.   
_(John raises his head and shrugs.)_   
SHERLOCK: Not much cop, this caring lark. **

**He loudly clicks the 'k' on the last word. Sherlock dismisses John from his mind and begins a search on his phone:**

**_Search:  
Thames   
\+ High Tide   
\+ Riverside_ **

**John stares at him for a moment, then straightens up as he perhaps begins to realise that his friend is never going to change. Sherlock continues his online search, totally focussed on his work and oblivious to the emotional trauma which his flatmate is going through.**

"You know he did change after you came into his life," Mycroft piped up suddenly, John frowns over at the older Holmes brother in confusion. "Believe or not, but my brother became kinder, more human after meeting you," There was a hint of graditude in his voice that had John smiling slightly.

**After a while John sniffs, then walks across the room towards the sofa. Sherlock switches to a search for**

**_Local News  
Greenwich   
Waterloo   
Battersea_ **

**He selects Waterloo as John tiredly sits down on the sofa and starts going through the pile of newspapers on the coffee table. Sherlock's phone shows timed reports from the Waterloo area, giving tide times, police reports and other information.**

**JOHN _(reading from a newspaper)_ : Archway suicide.   
SHERLOCK _(snapping irritably)_ : Ten a penny. **

"What?"

**John throws him a look as Sherlock goes back to the Local News option and selects _Battersea_ _._ The page shows _"No new reports." He tries "Thames Police Reports"_ and starts scrolling through the duty log.**

**JOHN: Two kids stabbed in Stoke Newington.   
_(He puts that paper aside and looks at another one.)_   
JOHN: Ah. Man found on the train line – Andrew West.   
_(Sherlock looks exasperated when he finds no helpful information in the reports.)_   
SHERLOCK: Nothing!   
_(He hits a speed dial and the phone begins to ring out. As soon as it is answered he starts talking.)_   
SHERLOCK: It's me. Have you found anything on the South Bank between Waterloo Bridge and Southwark Bridge?  
** **( _On the south bank of the River Thames, the tide has receded to reveal the body of a large man wearing black trousers, a white shirt, black socks and no shoes.)_**

"That poor man," Molly whispers as they watch the time flicker by and no one noticing the corpse.

**_ DAY - RIVER THAMES   
_ ** **While the police and forensics officers work at the scene, our boys arrive. Sherlock is pulling on a pair of latex gloves. Lestrade is waiting beside the body.**

**LESTRADE: D'you reckon this is connected, then? The bomber?   
SHERLOCK: _Must_ be. Odd, though ... _(he holds up the pink phone)_ ... he hasn't been in touch.   
LESTRADE: But we must assume that some poor bugger's primed to explode, yeah?   
SHERLOCK: Yes.   
_(He steps back and takes a long look at the man's body which is now lying on its back on a plastic sheet.)_   
LESTRADE: Any ideas?   
SHERLOCK: Seven ... so far.   
LESTRADE: Seven?! **

"Why are you so shocked?" Donovan questions. "Of course the freak had mutiple theories already." And if the words 'the freak' have a little hint of fondness, well no one pointed that out.

**Sherlock walks closer to the body and squats down to examine the man's face closely with his magnifier. He then looks at the ripped pocket on the shirt before working his way downwards until he reaches the man's feet. He pulls off one of the socks and examines the sole of the foot with his magnifier.**

"Hey were are the little white words?!" Anderson exclaims. He had been looking forward to see Sherlock's thinking pattern again.

**Standing up and closing the magnifier, he looks across to John and jerks his head down towards the body in a mute order to examine it. John looks enquiringly at Lestrade for permission; the inspector holds his hand out in a 'be my guest' gesture. John squats down beside the body and reaches out to take hold of the man's wrist while Sherlock walks a few paces away and gets out his phone.**

**JOHN: He's dead about twenty-four hours – maybe a bit longer. _(He looks up at Lestrade.)_ Did he drown? **

**Sherlock has called up**

**_Interpol  
Most Wanted   
Criminal Organisations   
Regional Activities_ **

**LESTRADE: Apparently not. Not enough of the Thames in his lungs. Asphyxiated.   
JOHN: Yes, I'd agree. **

**Sherlock looks up thoughtfully, then selects the latter option and the screen changes to:**

**_Czech Republic  
Gangs   
Information   
Most Wanted   
Contact_ **

**JOHN: There's quite a bit of bruising around the nose and mouth. More bruises here and here.   
_(Sherlock selects the_ "Most Wanted" _option, then looks up as he mentally flashes back to looking at the small round red marks beside the man's mouth and near his hairline.)_   
SHERLOCK _(thoughtfully)_ : Fingertips. **

**As John stands up, Sherlock shifts to a new search:**

**_Missing Persons_ **

**He scrolls through the options:**

**_Last 36 hrs  
Age   
Location   
Local Search_ **

**JOHN: In his late thirties, I'd say. Not in the best condition.   
SHERLOCK: He's been in the river a long while. The water's destroyed most of the data.   
_(He quirks a grin.)_   
SHERLOCK: But I'll tell you one thing: that lost Vermeer painting's a fake. **

"Wait what?" Molly questions, as the others all blink shock. Because how the hell did he get that from a corpse?

"What? It's a perfectly reasonable conclusion," Malcroft responds, his chin held up high. Everyone else rolls their eyes at him when they remember 

**LESTRADE: What?   
SHERLOCK: We need to identify the corpse. Find out about his friends and associates ...   
LESTRADE: Wait-wait-wait-wait-wait. What painting? What are you – what are you on about?   
SHERLOCK: It's all over the place. Haven't you seen the posters? Dutch Old Master, supposed to have been destroyed centuries ago; now it's turned up. Worth thirty million pounds.   
LESTRADE: Okay. So what has _that_ got to do with the stiff?   
SHERLOCK _(grinning briefly)_ : _Everything_. Have you ever heard of the Golem?   
**

"You mean like the one from Lord of The Rings?" Molly questions, that being the only Golem she knows of. **  
**

"Obviously not," Malcroft sighs, and Molly huffs her head bowing ever so slightly in embarrassment.

**LESTRADE: Golem? **

**JOHN: It's a horror story, isn't it? What are you saying?   
SHERLOCK: Jewish folk story. A gigantic man made of clay. It's also the name of an assassin – real name Oskar Dzundza – one of the deadliest assassins in the world.   
_(He points down to the body.)_   
SHERLOCK: _That_ is his trademark style.   
LESTRADE: So this is a hit?   
SHERLOCK: Definitely. The Golem squeezes the life out of his victims with his bare hands.   
LESTRADE: But what has this gotta do with that painting? I don't see ...   
SHERLOCK _(exasperated)_ : You do _see_ – you just don't _observe_.   
** **JOHN: All right, all right, girls, calm down. Sherlock? D'you wanna take us through it?**

Everyone with a sense of humor, besides for Lestrade who frowns and John who looks kind of embarrassed, laughs at the annoyed looks on both of their faces.

**_(Taking a moment before he responds, Sherlock eventually steps back and points to the body.)_   
SHERLOCK: What do we know about this corpse? The killer's not left us with much – just the shirt and the trousers. They're pretty formal – maybe he was going out for the night, but the trousers are heavy-duty, polyester, nasty, same as the shirt – cheap. They're both too big for him, so some kind of standard-issue uniform. Dressed for work, then. What _kind_ of work? There's a hook on his belt for a walkie-talkie.   
LESTRADE: Tube driver?   
_(Sherlock throws him a look which blatantly says 'idiot.')_   
JOHN: Security guard?   
SHERLOCK: More likely. That'll be borne out by his backside.   
LESTRADE: Backside?!   
SHERLOCK: Flabby. You'd think that he'd led a sedentary life, yet the soles of his feet and the nascent varicose veins in his legs show otherwise. So, a lot of walking _and_ a lot of sitting around. Security guard's looking good. And the watch helps, too. The alarm shows he did regular night shifts.   
_(Flashback to Sherlock pushing buttons on the man's wristwatch and it showing an alarm time of 2:30.)_   
LESTRADE: Why regular? Maybe he just set his alarm like that the night before he died.   
SHERLOCK: No-no-no, the buttons are stiff, hardly touched. He set his alarm like that a long time ago. His routine never varied. But there's something else. The killer must have been interrupted, otherwise he would have stripped the corpse completely. There was some kind of badge or insignia on the shirt front that he tore off, suggesting the dead man worked somewhere recognisable, some kind of institution.   
_(He takes something from his pocket.)_   
SHERLOCK: Found this inside his trouser pockets.   
_(He is holding a small scrunched-up ball of paper.)_ **

"When did he do that?" Anderson questions in shock. Everyone shrugs, no one having an answer for him.

**SHERLOCK: Sodden by the river but still recognisably ...   
JOHN _(peering at the ball of paper)_ : Tickets?   
SHERLOCK: Ticket _stubs_. He worked in a museum or gallery. Did a quick check – the Hickman Gallery has reported one of its attendants as missing.   
_(He points down to the body.)_   
SHERLOCK: Alex Woodbridge. Tonight they unveil the re-discovered masterpiece. Now why would anyone want to pay the Golem to suffocate a perfectly ordinary gallery attendant? Inference: the dead man knew something about it – something that would stop the owner getting paid thirty million pounds. The picture's a fake.   
JOHN _(admiringly)_ : Fantastic.   
SHERLOCK _( shrugging, apparently still peeved about their earlier argument)_: Meretricious.**

A couple of people, namely Anderson and Donovan, all frown in shock when Sherlock doesn't preen at the complement like usual.

**LESTRADE: And a Happy New Year!   
**

**_(John throws him a 'seriously?!' look. Lestrade grins sheepishly, then John looks down at the body again.)_ **

A couple of people snort at the exhange between the two and Lestrade shrugs at the confused looks people send him.

**JOHN: Poor sod.   
LESTRADE: I'd better get my feelers out for this Golem character.   
SHERLOCK: Pointless. You'll never find him. But I know a man who can.   
LESTRADE: Who?   
SHERLOCK _(grinning)_ : Me.   
_(He turns and walks away. John sighs, his entire body radiating 'Oh, here we go again,' but he dutifully follows his friend.)_**

**DAY - TAXI  
As the boys sit in the back of the cab, Sherlock is looking at the pink phone in frustration. **

**SHERLOCK: Why hasn't he phoned? He's broken his pattern. Why?   
_(A thought strikes him and he leans forward to the taxi driver.)_   
SHERLOCK: Waterloo Bridge.   
JOHN: Where now? The Gallery?   
SHERLOCK: In a bit.   
JOHN: The Hickman's contemporary art, isn't it? Why have they got hold of an Old Master?   
SHERLOCK: Dunno. Dangerous to jump to conclusions. Need data. **

"Isn't that what Sherlock does though? Jump to conclusions?" Kitty questions, genuinely curious. 

"Sherlock makes observations and estimates based on all the facts, he doesn't simply jump to an idea and stick with it," Mycroft explained.

**He has taken his notebook from his pocket and now writes something on a page before tearing it out and folding a bank note inside it. He puts the paper into his pocket, then a few seconds later calls out to the driver.**

**SHERLOCK: Stop!   
_(The cab pulls over to the side of the road.)_   
SHERLOCK: You wait here. I won't be a moment.   
_(He gets out, goes to the railings at the edge of the pavement and easily vaults over them.)_   
JOHN _(also getting out of the cab)_ : Sherlock ... **

**As Sherlock walks off, John shakes his head in exasperation, then scrambles over the railings and follows him. Sherlock trots up some steps to where a young woman is sitting on a bench under Waterloo Bridge. She has a large bag beside her with a handwritten cardboard sign poking out of the top. The first two words on the sign say, _"HUNGRY AND"_. Presumably the next word, obscured by some of her possessions, is _'HOMELESS.'_**

**HOMELESS GIRL: Change? Any change?   
SHERLOCK: What for?   
HOMELESS GIRL: Cup of tea, of course.   
SHERLOCK _(handing her the piece of paper from his pocket)_ : Here you go – fifty.   
HOMELESS GIRL _(smiling)_ : Thanks.   
_(He immediately turns and walks away again. John looks at him in bewilderment before turning and following, pointing back towards the girl.)_   
JOHN: What are you doing?   
SHERLOCK: Investing.   
_(John looks back to where the girl is unfolding the note and reading it. Sherlock goes to the railings and easily leaps over them again. He opens the rear door of the cab.)_ **

"What was that?" Anderson questions curiously. Turning to stare at John who shrugs. Just because John knows what it was, doesn't mean he understands it at all.

**SHERLOCK: Now we go to the Gallery.   
_(He stops and looks back at John.)_   
SHERLOCK: Have you got any cash?   
_(John – just offscreen – presumably nods because Sherlock gets into the cab and John follows.)_**

**DAY - HICKMAN GALLERY  
The taxi pulls up and Sherlock steps out. John is about to follow but Sherlock stops him. **

**SHERLOCK: No. I need you to find out all you can about the gallery attendant. Lestrade will give you the address.   
JOHN: Okay.   
_(He closes the cab door and gives a new instruction to the driver. Sherlock walks away towards the gallery.)_**

**_DAY - ALEX WOODBRIDGE'S HOME_  
A woman leads John into Alex's tiny attic bedroom. It's messy with clothes scattered everywhere. The window in the canted ceiling looks up into the sky, and standing below it is a large object covered with a sheet. **

"Who's the woman?" Molly questions curiously.

"The decease's flatmate." John replies witha slight sigh. 

**JULIE: We'd been sharing about a year. Just sharing.   
JOHN: Mmm.   
_(Julie stops and gestures around the room. John walks in and looks around, not touching anything. He looks at the sheet-covered object and points to it.)_   
JOHN: May I?   
JULIE: Yeah.   
_(John tries to lift just the top of the sheet but it slips from his fingers and falls to the floor.)_   
JOHN: Sorry.   
_(He looks at the telescope on a tripod which has been revealed.)_   
JOHN: Stargazer, was he?   
JULIE: God, yeah. Mad about it. It's all he ever did in his spare time.   
_(She looks away sadly.)_   
JULIE: He was a nice guy, Alex. I liked him.   
_(She looks around the room.)_   
JULIE: He was, er, never much of a one for hoovering.   
_(She laughs nervously. John smiles at her, then pulls a face as she looks away.)_   
JOHN: What about art? Did he know anything about that?   
JULIE _(shaking her head)_ : It was just a job, you know?   
JOHN: Hmm.   
_(He bends down and peers at the items on the bedside table.)_   
JOHN: Has anyone else been round asking about Alex? **

"Sutble," Donovan teases, John rolls his eyes, but surprisingly doesn't get annoyed at the woman.

**JULIE: No. We had a break-in, though.   
JOHN _(straightening up)_ : Hmm? When?   
JULIE: Last night. There was nothing taken. Oh – there _was_ a message left for Alex on the landline.   
JOHN: Who was it from?   
JULIE: Well, I can play it for you if you like. I'll get the phone.   
JOHN: Please.   
_(She goes out of the room briefly and comes back with the phone and plays the message.)_   
WOMAN'S VOICE: Oh, should I speak now? Alex? Love, it's Professor Cairns. Listen, you were right. You were bloody right! Give us a call when ...   
_(The message ends.)_   
JOHN: Professor Cairns?   
JULIE: No, no idea, sorry.   
JOHN: Mm. Can I try and ring back?   
JULIE: Well, no good. I mean, I've had other calls since – sympathy ones, you know. **

**He nods and Julie leaves the room again just as John's phone trills a text alert. He gets out the phone and looks at the message which reads:**

**_RE: BRUCE-PARTINGTON PLANS  
Have you spoken to West's   
fiancée yet?   
Mycroft Holmes_ **

**John grimaces and puts away the phone.**

"Seriously though, how did you get my phone number?" John demands. Mycroft smiles but still doesn't answer.  
  


**_ DAY - HICKMAN GALLERY   
_ ** **An elegantly dressed woman walks into the large white-painted room which is displaying the Vermeer painting. There is no other artwork or furniture of any kind in the room, but two rows of free-standing posts are roped together to form a path to the picture. The woman stops at the sight of a security man in a black jacket and black cap standing in front of the painting with his back to her.**

**MISS WENCESLAS _(in an Eastern European accent)_ : Don't you have something to do?   
SHERLOCK _(for it is he)_ : Just admiring the view. **

"Where did he get the uniform?" Kitty questions in shock.

"It's Sherlock," Was the only reply.

**MISS WENCESLAS: Yes. Lovely. Now get back to work. We open tonight.   
_(Sherlock looks over his shoulder and then turns and walks towards her.)_   
SHERLOCK: Doesn't it bother you?   
MISS WENCESLAS: What?   
SHERLOCK: That the painting's a fake.   
MISS WENCESLAS _(angrily)_ : What?   
SHERLOCK: It's a fake. It _has_ to be. It's the only possible explanation.   
_(Getting closer to her, he looks at her I.D. badge.)_   
SHERLOCK: You're in charge, aren't you, Miss Wenceslas?   
MISS WENCESLAS: Who _are_ you?   
SHERLOCK _(getting into her face and staring into her eyes)_ : Alex Woodbridge knew that the painting was a fake, so somebody sent the Golem to take care of him. Was it _you_?   
MISS WENCESLAS: Golem? What the hell are you talking about?   
SHERLOCK: Or are you working for someone else? Did you fake it _for_ them?   
MISS WENCESLAS: It's not a fake.   
SHERLOCK: It _is_ a fake. Don't know why, but there's something wrong with it. There _has_ to be.   
MISS WENCESLAS: What the hell are you on about? You know, I could have you sacked on the spot.   
SHERLOCK: Not a problem.   
MISS WENCESLAS: No?   
SHERLOCK: No. I don't work here, you see. Just popped in to give you a bit of friendly advice.   
MISS WENCESLAS: How did you get in?   
SHERLOCK _(scornfully)_ : Please.   
MISS WENCESLAS: I want to know.   
SHERLOCK: The art of disguise is knowing how to hide in plain sight. **

"It's true," Moriarty whispers, causing a couple of peole to frown over at him. And even more uncertainty filling a certain few.

**_(He turns and begins to walk away, taking off his cap.)_   
MISS WENCESLAS: Who _are_ you?   
SHERLOCK: Sherlock Holmes. **

"Why would he tell her that?" Kitty questions. 

"Because he doesn't care," 

**_(He drops the cap onto the top of one of the railing posts and continues onwards.)_   
MISS WENCESLAS: Am I supposed to be impressed?   
SHERLOCK: You _should_ be. **

"Arrogrant much?" Kitty hisses under her breath. The other's huff in amusement, because that was Sherlock for you.

**_(Taking off the jacket, he looks round at her as he deliberately drops it on the floor. Reaching the doors, he flamboyantly shoves one open, almost dancing out of the room.)_   
SHERLOCK: Have a nice day!   
_(Miss Wenceslas walks closer to the painting and looks at it as the door slowly and squeakily swings closed.)_**

"Did she know about the painting being a fake?" Molly questions. 

"No," Lestrade answers.

**_ DAY - WESTIE'S FLAT   
_ ** **John is sitting on the sofa beside Andrew West's fiancée. He has been there long enough for her to have made them mugs of something which are on the coffee table in front of them. Lucy is upset throughout the ensuing conversation.**

**LUCY: He wouldn't. He just wouldn't.   
JOHN _(gently)_ : Well, stranger things have happened.   
LUCY: Westie wasn't a traitor. It's a horrible thing to say!   
JOHN: I'm sorry, but you must understand that's ...   
LUCY: That's what they think, isn't it, his bosses?   
JOHN _(nodding)_ : He was a young man, about to get married. He had debts ...   
LUCY: _Everyone's_ got debts; and Westie wouldn't wanna clear them by selling out his country.   
JOHN: Can you, um, can you tell me exactly what happened that night?   
LUCY: We were having a night in, just watching a DVD.   
_(She smiles at the memory.)_   
LUCY: He normally falls asleep, you know, but he sat through this one. He was quiet.   
_(She becomes tearful.)_   
LUCY: Out of the blue, he said he just had to go and see someone.   
JOHN: And you've no idea who?   
_(Shaking her head, Lucy begins to cry.)_**

"That poor girl," Mrs Hudson murmurs. 

**LATER**  
 **She opens the front door and shows John out. A cycle courier walks along the pavement towards the house, wheeling his pushbike.**

**JOE: Oh, hi, Luce. You okay, love? **   
**LUCY: Yeah. **   
**JOE: Who's this?   
JOHN: John Watson. Hi.   
LUCY _(to John)_ : This is my brother, Joe. _(She turns to her brother.)_ John's trying to find out what happened to Westie, Joe.   
JOE _(looking John up and down)_ : You with the police?   
JOHN: Uh, sort of, yeah.   
JOE: Well, tell 'em to get off their arses, will you? It's bloody ridiculous. **

The officers huff at that, they did their best okay?

**JOHN: I'll do my best.   
_(Nodding, Joe turns and puts a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder for a moment before wheeling his bike inside the house. John clears his throat and steps closer to Lucy.)_   
JOHN: Well, er, thanks very much for your help; and again, I'm very, very sorry.   
_(He turns to leave but Lucy calls after him.)_   
LUCY: He didn't steal those things, Mr Watson.   
_(John turns back to her.)_   
LUCY: I knew Westie. He was a good man. _(She starts to cry.)_ He was _my_ good man.   
_(She turns and goes back indoors. John walks away)_**

**NIGHT - TAXI  
John is in the back of a taxi heading along Baker Street. Further along the road, the homeless girl is standing by the railings at the other side of Speedy's, shaking a paper cup at people as they pass by. **

**HOMELESS GIRL: Spare change? Any spare change? **

"Is that the girl from before?" Anderson questions, his eyes narrowing in on the homeless girl.

**_(Sherlock comes out of 221 and stops, looking down the road towards her. The taxi pulls up and John gets out. Sherlock walks over to him.)_   
JOHN: Alex Woodbridge didn't know anything special about art.   
SHERLOCK: And?   
JOHN: And ...   
_(Sherlock looks towards the girl again and starts to walk towards her while still talking to John.)_   
SHERLOCK: Is that it? No habits, hobbies, personality?   
JOHN: No, give us a chance! He was an amateur astronomer.   
_(Sherlock stops dead, turns and points towards the taxi.)_   
SHERLOCK: Hold that cab.   
_(John trots back to the taxi while Sherlock goes over to the girl.)_   
HOMELESS GIRL: Spare change, sir?   
SHERLOCK: Don't mind if I do. **

"I don't think that's quite how it works," Donovan jokes, everyone snorts in amusement, as curiosity about what Sherlock was doing piped up.

**JOHN _(to the cab driver)_ : Can you wait here?   
_(The girl hands Sherlock a piece of paper. Unfolding it, he sees that she has written_ "VAUXHALL ARCHES" _on it. Smiling briefly, he turns and walks back to John.)_ **

"I'm so confused," Anderson mutters.

"Aren't you always?" Lestrade teases and Anderson huffs, but smiles a bitter sweet smile as he remembers what Sherlcok used to say.

**SHERLOCK: Fortunately, I _haven't_ been idle.   
_(He opens the cab door and gets in.)_   
SHERLOCK: Come on.   
_(John climbs in and the taxi heads off.)_**

**_ NIGHT - VAUXHALL   
_ **

**The boys have got out of the cab and are walking along, Sherlock buttoning his coat as he gazes up at the sky.**

**SHERLOCK: Beautiful, isn't it?   
_(John looks up)_ **

"I've never seen a sky so clear in London," Molly muses.

**JOHN: I thought you didn't care about things like that.   
SHERLOCK: Doesn't mean I can't appreciate it.   
_(They walk into the Arches.)_   
JOHN: Listen: Alex Woodbridge had a message on the answerphone at his flat – a Professor Cairns?   
SHERLOCK: This way.   
JOHN: Nice(!) Nice part of town. Er, any time you wanna explain.   
SHERLOCK: Homeless network – really is indispensible.   
JOHN _(getting a small flashlight from his pocket and switching it on)_ : Homeless network?   
SHERLOCK: My eyes and ears all over the city.   
JOHN: Oh, that's clever. So you scratch their backs and ...   
SHERLOCK: Yes, then I disinfect myself. **

The Yarders, Molly and John all laugh at Sherlock's joke. Meanwhile, Kitty wondered how she could get connections like that.

**He has also brought a torch and shines it around as they continue into the darkness of the Arches. Their beams pick out homeless people all around the place, most of them settling down for the night. Suddenly, in the distance, the shadow of a man shows on a wall as he begins to stand up. The man is incredibly tall.**

**JOHN: Sherlock!   
SHERLOCK: Come on!   
_(They duck to the side of a wall while the man continues straightening up for ages until he is over seven feet tall.)_   
JOHN _(in a whisper)_ : What's he doing sleeping rough?   
SHERLOCK _(peering around the corner)_ : Well, he has a very distinctive look. He has to hide somewhere where tongues won't wag – much.   
_(John looks down as he realises that he has come out without something essential.)_   
JOHN: Oh shi...   
SHERLOCK _(taking John's pistol from his coat pocket)_ : What?   
JOHN: I wish I'd ...   
SHERLOCK _(handing him the gun)_ : Don't mention it. **

"You're looking for a serial killer and you didn't bring your gun?" Lestrade chides, shaking his head at John.

"It's not like I had enough time to go inside and get it!" John exclaims. 

**The man breaks into a run and hurries away down another tunnel. The boys chase across towards where he was and reach the tunnel just in time to see him climbing into a waiting car which immediately speeds off. Sherlock punches the air in frustration.**

**SHERLOCK: No, no, no, _no_! It'll take us _weeks_ to find him again.   
JOHN: Or not. I have an idea where he might be going.   
SHERLOCK: What?   
JOHN: I told you: someone left Alex Woodbridge a message. There can't be _that_ many Professor Cairns in the book. Come on.  
  
**

**_ NIGHT - PLANETARIUM   
_ ** **Professor Cairns is alone in the planetarium's theatre. As Gustav Holst's "Mars" plays over the sound system, she is standing at the mixing desk in front of a huge screen and watching footage of a film which is played to visitors. Other than the light coming from the screen, the room is in darkness.**

**NARRATOR _(over the footage)_ : Jupiter, the fifth planet in our solar system and the largest. Jupiter is a gas giant. Planet Earth would fit into it eleven times.   
CAIRNS _(bored)_ : Yes, we know that.   
_(She stops the recording and fast-forwards it for a moment because starting the playback again.)_   
NARRATOR: Titan is the largest moon.   
CAIRNS _(fast-forwarding again)_ : Come on, Neptune, where're you hiding? **

"Why is she looking for Neptune?" Molly questions confused.

"Probably something to do with the painting," Anderson deducts and everyone rolls their eyes at him because, duh.

**_(Behind her, a hand pushes open the door to the theatre. A moment later, just as Cairns starts the playback again, the door bangs shut. She looks round.)_   
NARRATOR: Many are actually long dead ...   
_(Cairns peers up to the projection room.)_   
CAIRNS: Tom? Is that you?   
NARRATOR: ... exploded into supernovas.   
_(She turns back to the desk. Behind her a long arm reaches out towards her.)_   
NARRATOR: ... discovered by Urbain Le Verrier in 1846.   
_(A tall figure steps up behind Cairns and clamps one hand over her mouth and nose, pulling her backwards.)_   
CAIRNS _(muffled)_ : Oh my God! **

**She claws at the hand, crying out in muffled panic, and her other hand flails out and drags several of the sliders down the mixing desk. The footage begins to jump randomly as Cairns' attacker continues to suffocate her.**

**NARRATOR: ... composed mainly of hydrogen. Their light takes so long to reach us ...   
_(Sherlock and John race into the theatre through another door. As John stops and aims his pistol towards the attacker, Sherlock yells at the top of his voice.)_   
SHERLOCK: _Golem!_   
NARRATOR: ... many are actually long-dead, exploded into supernovas. **

"You know, I'm starting to think that the false painting has something to do with supernovas," Donovan mutters as she hears the narrator speak that same sentence once again.

**The Golem looks up, grunts in surprise, then snaps Cairns' neck and drops her to the floor. Her fingers drag along the mixing desk and the footage goes into fast-forward again, plunging the theatre into darkness. The Golem ducks down out of sight.**

**SHERLOCK: John!   
JOHN: I can't see him. I'll go round. I'll go!   
_(As the footage continues spooling and then stopping and playing before spooling again, light comes and goes in the room. Sherlock stares around as John hurries off.)_   
SHERLOCK _(loudly)_ : Who are you working for this time, Dzundza? **

**Behind him, the Golem steps out of the fluctuating darkness and clamps one hand around Sherlock's mouth and nose while gripping his neck with the other. Sherlock grabs at the hand on his face, struggling to pull it free as he is slowly suffocated. John races over and stops in front of them, his pistol held in both hands.**

Molly gasps in shock nd even though the Yards, John and Mrs Hudson know that Sherlock will be okay, they can't help but feel worry as they stare at the scene on the screen.

**JOHN: Golem!   
_(He cocks the gun and points it at the Golem's face, his hands and voice steady.)_   
JOHN: Let him go, or I _will_ kill you. **

**Sherlock, whimpering in his efforts, continues trying to pull the man's hand from his face. The Golem swings him around to the left and lashes out with his long right leg during a moment of darkness, kicking the pistol from John's hands. Dropping Sherlock to the ground, he surges forward and wrestles with John. As Sherlock gets to his feet, the Golem shoves John into him, sending both of the boys tumbling to the floor. Sherlock scrambles up again and takes up a boxing stance in front of him, holding up his clenched fists. He swings a punch at the man but Dzundza grabs his hand and swings his other arm down heavily onto Sherlock's shoulder, dropping him to the floor yet again. The Golem follows him down and clamps both hands over his face, leaning his weight onto them. Behind him, John throws himself onto his back. The Golem roars, releasing Sherlock as he claws at the hobbit on his back. He stands up with John still clinging to his back and spins around several times before finally managing to shake him off onto the floor. As John groggily tries to get up, the Golem turns, picks up Sherlock and skims him across the floor towards John. Sliding across the floor, Sherlock grabs at the pistol and manages to pick it up. The Golem runs for the doors. Sherlock rolls over onto his back and fires twice towards him but the Golem makes it to the doors and disappears through them.**

Molly and Mrs Hudson sighs in relief as the two are safe.

**NARRATOR: ... long dead, exploded into supernovas.   
_(As the image of a supernova dramatically explodes on the screen behind him, Sherlock angrily slams his hand down on the floor in front of him.)_**


	15. The Great Game (01x03 part 4/4)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

**_HICKMAN GALLERY - DAY_  
Sherlock is standing in front of the Vermeer painting, looking up information on his phone. He calls up subjects such as "Vermeer brush strokes," "Pigment analysis," "Canvas degradation," "UV Light damage," "Delft Skyline, 1600," and "Vermeer influences." John, Lestrade and Miss Wenceslas are standing behind him.**

**SHERLOCK: It's a fake. It has to be.  
MISS WENCESLAS: That painting has been subjected to every test known to science.  
SHERLOCK: It's a very good fake, then.  
 _(He spins around and glares at her.)_  
SHERLOCK: You know about this, don't you? This is you, isn't it?  
**

**_(Miss Wenceslas turns to Lestrade, looking exasperated.)  
_ **

**MISS WENCESLAS: Inspector, my time is being wasted. Would you mind showing yourself and your friends out?  
**

**_(The pink phone rings. Sherlock snatches it from his pocket and switches on the speaker.)  
_ **

**SHERLOCK: The painting is a fake.  
**

**_(There's a faint sound of breathing over the speaker but otherwise there is no response.)  
_ **

**SHERLOCK: It's a fake. That's why Woodbridge and Cairns were killed.  
**

**_(Still there's nothing more than breathing.)  
_ **

**SHERLOCK: Oh, come on. Proving it's just the detail. The painting is a fake. I've solved it. I've figured it out. It's a fake! That's the answer. That's why they were killed.**

"He looks mad," Kitty mutters in disgust glaring at Sherlock.

"If Sherlock really created this case, why would he be so confused about to why the painting is a fake?" John couldn't help but point out.

**_(When the phone remains silent, Sherlock takes a deep breath to calm himself.)_  
SHERLOCK: Okay, I'll prove it. Give me time. Will you give me time?  
 _(After a moment, the tremulous voice of a very young boy comes over the phone's speaker.)_  
BOY's VOICE: Ten ...**

Everyone with a consciouness gasped as they heard the little boys voice. Molly reaches out and grabs Lestrade - the closest person's hand - and squeezed in horror.

**_(Instantly Sherlock spins and looks closely at the painting.)_  
LESTRADE (shocked): It's a kid. Oh, God, it's a kid!  
JOHN: What did he say?  
SHERLOCK: "Ten."  
BOY's VOICE: Nine ...  
SHERLOCK (narrowing his eyes as he scans every inch of the painting): It's a countdown. He's giving me time.  
LESTRADE: Jesus!  
SHERLOCK: The painting is a fake, but how can I prove it? How? How?  
BOY's VOICE: Eight ...  
SHERLOCK (turning and glaring at Miss Wenceslas): This kid will die. Tell me why the painting is a fake. Tell me!  
 _(Miss Wenceslas flinches and opens her mouth, but Sherlock immediately holds up his hand to stop her.)_  
BOY's VOICE: Seven ...  
SHERLOCK: No, shut up. Don't say anything. It only works if I figure it out.**

"Then hurry up!" Anderson hisses. Not because he hated Sherlock still or because he was mad at Sherlock. His outburst was purely because he was terrfied for that little boy.

**He turns back to the painting again. Unable to stand the tension, John turns and walks away a few paces. Lestrade turns to watch him, probably wanting to join in the pacing as well.**

**SHERLOCK (to himself, continuing to scan the painting): Must be possible. Must be staring me in the face.  
BOY's VOICE: Six ...  
JOHN (urgently under his breath as he turns back): Come on.  
SHERLOCK: Woodbridge knew, but how?  
BOY's VOICE: Five ...  
LESTRADE: It's speeding up!  
JOHN (urgently): Sherlock.  
 _(Sherlock's gaze falls on three tiny white dots of paint in the night sky. His mouth falls open as the penny finally drops.)_  
SHERLOCK: Oh!  
BOY's VOICE: Four ...  
SHERLOCK: In the planetarium! You heard it too. Oh, that is brilliant! That is gorgeous!  
 _(Turning and shoving the pink phone into John's hands, he walks away from the painting, grinning as he pulls out his own phone from his pocket.)_  
BOY's VOICE: Three ...  
JOHN: What's brilliant? What is?  
 _(Sherlock rapidly types "Astronomers" and "Supernovas" into his phone, then turns back and walks towards the others, laughing in delight.)_**

"I was right!" Donovan cried as she noticed the word 'Supernovas' appear on the world.

"Only because it was repeated over and over and over!" Anderson argued, "At least Sherlock figured it out on his own," 

"Sherlock used the same clues as I did!" Donovan pointed out.

"He was being strangled and worrying for his life at the same time!" Anderson snapped back. Donovan rolled her eyes but didn't bother arguing. 

John smiled slightly at the fact that the two Yarders had none of their usual disgust or hatred in their voices when talking about Sherlock. And that Donovan called Sherlock, Sherlock and not 'freak'.

**SHERLOCK: This is beautiful. I love this!  
BOY's VOICE: Two ...  
LESTRADE (furiously): Sherlock!  
 _(Sherlock grabs the pink phone from John and yells into it.)_  
SHERLOCK: The Van Buren Supernova!  
 _(There's a short pause, then the boy's plaintive voice comes from the speaker.)_  
BOY's VOICE: Please. Is somebody there?**

They all sighed in relief. The boy was going to be okay.

"Thank God," Mrs Hudson breathed as Molly let go of Lestrade's hand suddenly flustered.

**_(Sherlock sighs out a relieved breath.)_  
BOY's VOICE: Somebody help me!  
SHERLOCK (turning and handing the phone to Lestrade): There you go. Go find out where he is and pick him up.  
 _(He gives John a long look, promising him a jolly good seeing-to later, then turns and points to one of the dots in the sky of the painting.)_  
SHERLOCK: The Van Buren Supernova, so-called. _(He holds up his phone over his shoulder so that Miss Wenceslas can see the screen.)_ Exploding star, only appeared in the sky in eighteen fifty-eight.**

"I guess the solar system is imporant after all," Lestrade couldn't help but joke. Everyone with a humor laughed.

**_(He turns and throws her a triumphant look, then walks away. John drags in a relieved breath, then walks closer to look at the painting.)_  
JOHN: So how could it have been painted in the sixteen forties?  
 _(He grins over his shoulder at Miss Wenceslas, then looks back to the picture again. His phone trills a text alert.)_  
JOHN: Oh.**

**He digs out his phone, still breathing heavily, and looks at the message which reads:**

**_My patience is  
wearing thin.  
Mycroft Holmes_ **

"And here I thought you had endless patience for your brother?" Molly questions, half joking half being serious.

"Why on earth would you think that?" Mycroft asked, and no one could tell if he was joking or not.

**He growls slightly, then looks up at the painting one last time.**

**JOHN: Oh Sherl...  
 _(He switches off the phone and walks away. Miss Wenceslas stares at the painting in shock.)  
  
  
_**

**_ NEW SCOTLAND YARD - DAY  
_ ** **Sherlock and Miss Wenceslas are sitting side by side in front of Lestrade's desk while the inspector sits in a chair to the side of the desk. Sherlock has his hands in the prayer position under his chin.**

**SHERLOCK: You know, it's interesting. Bohemian stationery, an assassin named after a Prague legend, and _you_ , Miss Wenceslas. This whole case has a distinctly Czech feeling about it. Is that where this leads?  
 _(She looks down and doesn't answer.)_  
SHERLOCK: What are we looking at, Inspector?  
LESTRADE _(thoughtfully)_ : Well, um, criminal conspiracy, fraud, accessory after the fact at the very least. The murder of the old woman, all the people in the flats ...  
MISS WENCESLAS _(panicked, to Lestrade)_ : I didn't know _anything_ about that! _All_ those things! _Please_ believe me.  
 _(As she continues to stare at Lestrade, Sherlock gives him a tiny nod to confirm that she's telling the truth.)_  
MISS WENCESLAS: I just wanted my share – the thirty million.  
 _(She looks across to Sherlock, then sighs and lowers her head again.)_  
MISS WENCESLAS: I found a little old man in Argentina. Genius. I mean, really: brushwork immaculate, could fool anyone.  
SHERLOCK _(sarcastically)_ : Hm!  
MISS WENCESLAS _(looking at him briefly)_ : Well, _nearly_ anyone. _(She turns back to Lestrade.)_ But I didn't know how to go about convincing the world the picture was genuine. It was just an idea – a spark which he blew into a flame.**

"I don't understand, if she was being comparative why couldn't she just say the name, instead of just saying he?" Mrs Hudson tuts. "It's not like Sherlock wasn't going to ask,"

**SHERLOCK _(sharply)_ : Who?  
MISS WENCESLAS _(shaking her head)_ : I don't know.  
 _(Lestrade gives a disbelieving laugh.)_  
MISS WENCESLAS: It's true! I mean, it took a long time, but eventually I was put in touch with people ... _his_ people.  
 _(Sherlock slowly begins to sit up in his chair, his expression becoming more concentrated.)_  
MISS WENCESLAS: Well, there was never any real contact; just messages ... whispers.  
 _(Sherlock leans closer to her, his face intense.)_  
SHERLOCK: And did those whispers have a _name_?  
 _(She gazes ahead of herself for a moment, then looks across to Lestrade before nodding. She turns her head to Sherlock.)_  
MISS WENCESLAS: Moriarty.**

**Slowly Sherlock sinks back in his chair. As Miss Wenceslas looks anxiously at Lestrade again, Sherlock gazes into the distance, his eyes full of thought. Eventually he raises his hands into the prayer position in front of his mouth, then grins.**

"Why else would he be happy unless that was actually him?" Kitty points out, trying to prove to everyone that she was right.

"Have even been watching?" John snapped, shaking his head in annoyance.

  
  


**_ BATTERSEA - DAY  
_ ** **Wearing a high-vis jacket over his coat, John is walking along the railway lines with the Tube guard who found Andrew West's body.**

**JOHN: So this is where West was found?  
TUBE GUARD: Yeah.  
JOHN: Uh-huh.  
TUBE GUARD: You gonna be long?  
JOHN: I might be.  
TUBE GUARD: You with the police, then?  
JOHN: Sort of.  
TUBE GUARD: I hate 'em.  
JOHN: The police?  
TUBE GUARD: No. Jumpers. People who chuck themselves in front of trains. Selfish bastards.**

"Rude," Molly can't help but comment.

**JOHN: Well, that's _one_ way of looking at it.  
 _(He squats down to look more closely at the railway track.)_  
TUBE GUARD: I mean it. It's all right for them. It's over in a split second – strawberry jam all over the lines. What about the drivers, hmm? They've gotta live with it, haven't they?**

"I never thought about it like that," Molly muses, silently retracting her last statement.

**_(John runs his fingers along the track, then lifts his hand to look at it.)_  
JOHN: Yeah, speaking of strawberry jam, there's no blood on the line. _(He stands up again.)_ Has it been cleaned off?  
TUBE GUARD: No, there wasn't that much.  
JOHN: You said his head was smashed in.  
TUBE GUARD: Well, it was, but there wasn't much blood.  
JOHN: Okay.  
 _(He turns and looks along the line thoughtfully.)_  
TUBE GUARD: Well, I'll leave you to it then.  
 _(John walks a few yards further down the line and then squats down again.)_  
TUBE GUARD: Just give us a shout when you're off.  
JOHN: Right.  
 _(The guard walks away. John stands up again and talks to himself.)_  
JOHN: Right: so, uh, Andrew West got on the train somewhere – or _did_ he? There's no ticket on the body. Then how did he end up here?  
 _(Beside him, the points change and a set of the tracks slides sideways into a new layout. John squats down again and looks at the tracks thoughtfully.)_  
SHERLOCK _(from behind him)_ : Points.**

A couple of people scream slightly at the sudden appearance of Sherlock.

"How the hell did he get there?" Anderson questioned, one hand covering his heart.

"How do you think?"

**JOHN: Yes!  
 _(He springs to his feet and turns around to see his flatmate standing nearby.)_  
SHERLOCK: Knew you'd get there eventually. West wasn't killed here; that's why there was so little blood.  
JOHN: How long have you been following me?  
SHERLOCK: Since the start. You don't think I'd give up on a case like this just to spite my brother, do you?**

Even though no one speaks, everyone thinks that that sounded exactly like something Sherlock would do.

**_(He turns and starts walking away.)_  
SHERLOCK: Come on. Got a bit of burglary to do.  
** **_(Shortly afterwards the boys are walking along a street.)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK: The missile defence plans haven't left the country, otherwise Mycroft's people would have heard about it. Despite what people think, we do still have a Secret Service.  
** **JOHN: Yeah, I know. I've met them.  
** **SHERLOCK: Which means whoever stole the memory stick can't sell it or doesn't know what to do with it. My money's on the latter. We're here.  
** **JOHN: Where?**

**Sherlock turns into the drive of a maisonette and trots up the steps at the side of the building which lead to the front door of flat 21A on the first floor. As he rummages in his pocket, John whispers to him urgently.**

**JOHN: Sherlock! What if there's someone in?  
SHERLOCK: There isn't.  
**

**_(He picks the lock and goes inside.)_ **

The three police officers huff at the blatant crime commited in front of them. Even if none of them were very surprised.

**JOHN _(softly)_ : Jesus!  
 _(He hurries inside and shuts the door. Sherlock trots up the short flight of stairs ahead of him and walks into the living room.)_  
JOHN: Where are we?  
SHERLOCK: Oh, sorry, didn't I say? Joe Harrison's flat.  
JOHN: Joe ...?  
 _(Sherlock goes straight over to the window and pulls back the net curtain. He grins in satisfaction at the sight which greets him outside.)_  
SHERLOCK: Brother of West's fiancée.**

**Outside the window is a one-storey extension, the roof of which can be easily climbed onto from the window. The extension goes all the way to the bottom of the garden which ends in a wall, and directly on the other side of the wall is the railway line.**

**SHERLOCK: _He_ stole the memory stick; killed his prospective brother-in-law.**

**Dropping to his knees, he gets out his magnifier and uses it to slowly examine the edge of the window sill. John walks across to him and peers over his shoulder as Sherlock finds some tiny blood-red spots on the white paint.**

**JOHN: Then why'd he do it?  
 _(He straightens up and turns at the sound of someone unlocking the front door. Sherlock also stands.)_  
SHERLOCK: Let's ask him.**

Mrs Hudson can't help but sigh Sherlock's name. Even though she wasn't surprised, she still hoped that the boy wouldn't be so causual around a muderer.

**Reaching round to the back of his jeans, John walks quietly to the door of the living room as the front door slams. He steps out onto the landing just as Joe, wearing his courier gear, is leaning his bicycle against the wall. When he sees John he picks up the bike as if he intends to use it as a weapon or simply to throw it at him. John instantly raises his right hand and points his pistol at him.**

**JOHN _(sternly)_ : Don't.  
 _(For a moment Joe keeps coming but John shakes his head.)_  
JOHN: _Don't._**

**Joe stops and lowers the bike, sighing in a mixture of frustration and fear.**

**Shortly afterwards he is sitting on the sofa while the boys stand nearby. He is very distressed.**

**JOE: It wasn't meant to ...  
 _(Sherlock looks away, exasperated.)_  
JOE: God. _(He rubs his hand over his face.)_ What's Lucy gonna say? Jesus.**

"His worried about what his sister thinks? Not about the fact that he just killed a guy or that his going to prison," Anderson couldn't help but comment.

**_(He sinks back on the sofa.)_  
JOHN: Why did you kill him?  
JOE: It was an accident.  
 _(Sherlock snorts.)_  
JOE: I _swear_ it was.  
SHERLOCK _(sternly)_ : But stealing the plans for the missile defence programme wasn't an accident, was it?  
JOE: I started dealing drugs. I mean, the bike thing's a great cover, right? I dunno – I dunno how it started; I just got out of my depth. I owed people thousands – _serious_ people. Then at Westie's engagement do, he starts talking about his job.  
 _(Throughout the next part of the scene there are flashbacks to Joe and Westie in a pub which re-enact what Joe is describing.)_  
JOE: I mean, usually he's so careful; but that night after a few pints he really opened up. He told me about these missile plans – beyond top secret. He showed me the memory stick; he waved it in front of me. You hear about these things getting lost, ending up on rubbish tips and what-not. And there it was, and I thought ... well, I thought it could be worth a fortune.  
 _(In flashback, Joe helps a very drunk Westie into his jacket and slips the memory stick out of his shirt pocket while he's doing so.)_  
JOE: It was pretty easy to get the thing off him, he was so plastered. Next time I saw him, I could tell by the look on his face that he knew.**

"What did he expect, for Westie to just forget about the plans?" Donovan critics.

**_(In flashback, Joe is letting himself into his flat at night time when Westie hurries up the steps and grabs him.)_  
WESTIE _(in flashback)_ : I know you took it.  
JOE _(in flashback)_ : What are you doin' 'ere?  
WESTIE _(in flashback)_ : What have you done with it?  
JOE _(in flashback)_ : What are you talking about?  
WESTIE _(in flashback)_ : What have you done with the plans?  
 _(In the present, Joe looks up guiltily at John.)_  
JOHN: What happened?**

**In flashback, Westie and Joe scuffle on the small landing outside the front door. Joe angrily shoves Westie and he loses his footing and rolls down the steps, landing heavily on the ground.**

**JOE: I _was_ gonna call an ambulance, but it was too late.  
 _(In flashback, Joe has hauled Westie's limp body into the living room, his face full of anguish.)_**

"And if he had just called the police or something, he would have gotten a much lesser sentence," Lestrade murmurs.

**JOE: I just didn't have a clue what to do, so I dragged him in 'ere, and I just sat in the dark, thinking.  
SHERLOCK: When a neat little idea popped into your head.**

**As Joe hauls Westie across to the window, a train pulls up on the tracks outside, its brakes squealing noisily. Shortly afterwards, Joe has dragged Westie out of the window and is tugging him across the extension roof. Pulling him over the top of the wall, he steps across onto the roof of the train and drags the body over, settling it into a position along the slightly curved roof so that it won't easily fall off. He steps back onto the wall and the train sounds its horn and then continues on down the track.**

**SHERLOCK _(pushing the net curtain aside and looking out of the window)_ : Carrying Andrew West way away from here. His body would have gone on for ages if the train hadn't met a stretch of track that curved.**

**In flashback, the train rockets through the area that John was recently investigating. The combination of the curve and the jolting of the train as it passes over the points throws Westie's body off the roof and onto the trackside.**

**JOHN: And points.  
SHERLOCK: Exactly.  
 _(And the Tube guard walks along the track and finds Westie's body the next morning.)_  
JOHN: D'you still have it, then? The memory stick?  
 _(Joe nods.)_  
SHERLOCK: Fetch it for me – if you wouldn't mind.  
 _(Sighing unhappily, Joe stands up and walks into another room. Sherlock walks closer to John.)_  
SHERLOCK _(quietly)_ : Distraction over, the game continues.**

Mrs Hudson and John huffs at the fact that Sherlock couldn't careless about catching a murderer. But they don't comment, unlike Kitty who mutters a disgusted "Of course," under her breath.

**JOHN: Well, maybe _that's_ over, too. We've heard nothing from the bomber.  
SHERLOCK: Five pips, remember, John? It's a countdown. We've only had four.  
  
**

**_ 221B BAKER STREET - NIGHT   
_ ** **Both Sherlock and John are in their coats because the windows still haven't been replaced. Sherlock is sitting in his armchair with his feet up on the seat and his arms folded tightly around him, trying to conserve heat. The pink phone is on the arm of the chair. Behind him, John is sitting at the dining table, typing on his laptop. The TV is on and a Jerry Springer/Jeremy Kyle-type show is playing. As the audience boos noisily, Sherlock yells indignantly at the telly.**

**SHERLOCK: No, no, _no_! Of _course_ he's not the boy's father! _(He gestures at the screen.)_ Look at the turn-ups on his jeans!**

The yarders and Molly laugh, not that they doubted Sherlock, expect maybe for Donovan, they just found it ridiculous.

**_(Sighing, he folds his arms again. John, who has looked round to see what Sherlock is protesting about, gets back to his typing.)_  
JOHN: Knew it was dangerous.  
SHERLOCK: Hmm?  
JOHN: Getting you into crap telly.**

"It really was," John muses to himself, a fond smile on his face as he looks at his best friend.

**SHERLOCK: Hmm. Not a patch on Connie Prince.  
JOHN: Have you given Mycroft the memory stick yet?  
SHERLOCK: Yep. He was over the moon. Threatened me with a knighthood – again.**

Mycroft raised an eyebrow, he didn't remember his brother giving him the plans back that soon.

**JOHN: You know, I'm still waiting.  
SHERLOCK: Hmm?  
JOHN: For you to admit that a little knowledge of the solar system and you'd have cleared up the fake painting a lot quicker.  
SHERLOCK: Didn't do _you_ any good, did it?  
JOHN: No, but I'm not the world's only consulting detective.  
SHERLOCK _(smiling)_ : True.  
 _(John has closed the lid of his laptop and now stands up.)_  
JOHN: I won't be in for tea. I'm going to Sarah's. There's still some of that risotto left in the fridge.**

"I can't believe she actually still talks to you, I know I said it before but still!" Anderso cried. The other Yorkers nod in agreement while Kitty frowns in confusion. Not having been there for the Blind Banker.

**SHERLOCK _(his eyes still fixed on the TV)_ : Mm!  
 _(John stops at the door.)_  
JOHN: Uh, milk. We need milk.  
SHERLOCK: I'll get some.  
JOHN _(turning back with a look of disbelief on his face)_ : Really?!  
SHERLOCK: Really.  
JOHN: And some beans, then?  
SHERLOCK _(still not looking away from the TV)_ : Mm.**

**John hesitates, still surprised, but then nods and walks away.**

John huffed to himself, feeling annoyed that his past self didn't notice that Sherlock was lying! It looked so obvious now.

**Sherlock continues to gaze at the TV until he hears the downstairs door open and close, then he picks up his computer notebook from where it was tucked down beside him. Putting it on his lap and opening the lid, he stares at the message box on The Science of Deduction website before starting to type.**

**_Found. The Bruce-Partington plans. Please collect._ **

**He lifts his eyes in thought for a moment, then quirks a small smile before returning to his typing.**

**_The Pool. Midnight._ **

**He sends the message, then closes the lid, gazing thoughtfully into the distance.**

"Miss Riley, if my brother really was the master mind behind all this, then why would he set up a meeting without any other witnesses?" Mycroft questioned in that tone reserved espically for idiots.  
  


**_SWIMMING POOL - NIGHT_  
Sherlock opens a door leading into the area surrounding an indoor swimming pool. The lights are on but there is nobody visible in the area. Somewhere between Baker Street and here, he has taken off his Coat and is just wearing his suit, so presumably the heating is on as well. He walks slowly towards the shallow end of the pool, probably very aware that the upper gallery where people sit and watch the swimmers is still in darkness. He stops at the edge of the pool and turns, trying to see up into the viewing gallery. Finally he turns towards the pool again, raising one hand and holding up the memory stick.**

**SHERLOCK _(loudly)_ : Brought you a little getting-to-know-you present. Oh, that's what it's all been for, hasn't it? All your little puzzles; making me dance – all to distract me from _this._**

**He gestures with the memory stick, then begins to turn in a slow circle while he waits for a response. When his back is turned to the pool, a door opens halfway down the room. Sherlock looks over his shoulder, still holding the memory stick aloft. And John Watson walks through the door and into the pool area, wrapped snugly in a hooded jacket with his hands tucked into the pockets. He turns and looks at Sherlock as the detective stares back at him in absolute shock.**

Everyone that didn't know about that night gasps in shock. Even Mycroft's eyes widen slightly.

**JOHN: Evening.  
 _(Sherlock's raised hand begins to lower slowly but otherwise he doesn't move, still staring over his shoulder in utter disbelief.)_  
JOHN: This is a turn-up, isn't it, Sherlock?  
SHERLOCK _(softly, shocked)_ : John. What the hell ...?  
JOHN: Bet you never saw _this_ coming.**

**Finally Sherlock manages to move, and starts to walk slowly towards the man he had believed to be his friend until now. The shock and bewilderment on his face make him look about twelve years old. Then, with a look of despair which matches Sherlock's, John takes his hands from his pockets and pulls open his jacket to reveal the bomb strapped to his chest. From somewhere in the upper gallery, the point from a sniper's laser immediately begins to dance around over the bomb.**

Mrs Hudson reaches out to grap John, in worry. Why the others who care about John kept casting looks over at him to make sure he was actually there.

**JOHN: What ... would you like me ... to make him say ... next?  
 _(Sherlock continues to step towards him but now he is looking everywhere but at John as he tries to see who else is in the area.)_  
JOHN _(obviously narrating words spoken into an earpiece)_ : Gottle o' geer ... gottle o' geer ... gottle o' geer.  
 _(His voice almost breaks on the last phrase.)_  
SHERLOCK: Stop it.  
JOHN _(narrating)_ : Nice touch, this: the pool where little Carl died. I stopped him. _(He tries not to cringe as he listens to the next words.)_ I can stop John Watson too. _(He looks down at the laser point on his chest.)_ Stop his heart.  
SHERLOCK _(turning on the spot while he tries to look in all directions)_ : Who _are_ you?  
 _(A door opens at the far end of the pool and a soft male voice with an Irish accent speaks from that direction.)_  
VOICE: I gave you my number.  
 _(We get a brief glimpse of a man wearing a suit and tie, but currently he is mostly obscured by a column.)_  
VOICE _(plaintively)_ : I thought you might call.**

**Sherlock turns towards the new arrival, who now slowly walks out into the open. It's Jim, Molly's boyfriend. But this isn't the fumble-fingered casually-dressed Londoner who did indeed leave his number for Sherlock in the lab at Bart's; this is a sharply-dressed man with immaculate hair and a murderous look on his face. With his hands in his pockets, he casually begins to stroll alongside the deep end of the pool, heading towards Sherlock and John. All hint of plaintiveness has now gone from his voice.**

John, Molly, Mrs Hudson, Mycroft, Lestrade and Anderson all glare at the Mycroft on screen and off. The two Yarders now believing that Sherlock was innocent.

**JIM: Is that a British Army Browning L9A1 in your pocket ...  
 _(Sherlock reaches down to his trouser pocket and removes a pistol from it.)_  
JIM: ... or are you just pleased to see me?  
SHERLOCK _(raising the pistol and aiming it towards Jim)_ : Both.  
 _(Jim stops and looks back at him, unafraid.)_  
JIM: Jim Moriarty. Hi!  
 _(Sherlock tilts his head while he looks more closely at the man. Jim acts as if he needs to remind Sherlock who he is.)_  
JIM: Jim? Jim from the hospital?  
 _(He begins to walk alongside the deep end again. Sherlock brings up his other hand to support the one aiming the gun. Jim bites his lip as if disappointed.)_  
JIM: Oh. Did I really make such a fleeting impression? But then, I suppose, that _was_ rather the point.  
 _(He turns to face Sherlock just as the sniper's laser flickers over John's upper chest. Sherlock briefly turns his head towards John, a questioning look on his face.)_  
JIM _(starting to walk again)_ : Don't be silly. Someone else is holding the rifle. I don't like getting my hands dirty.  
 _(He reaches the corner of the pool and stops.)_  
JIM: I've given you a glimpse, Sherlock, just a teensy glimpse of what I've got going on out there in the big bad world. I'm a specialist, you see ...  
 _(He looks surprised, as if he has only just realised the connection.)_  
JIM: ... like you!  
SHERLOCK: "Dear Jim. Please will you fix it for me to get rid of my lover's nasty sister?"  
 _(Starting to walk forward again, Jim grins, clearly recognising the TV show and catchphrase that Sherlock is quoting.)_**

"Did Sherlock just quote a TV show?" Anderson comments, grinning slightly in amusement at the thought. 

**SHERLOCK: "Dear Jim. Please will you fix it for me to disappear to South America?"  
JIM _(stopping again)_ : Just so.  
SHERLOCK: Consulting criminal. _(softly)_ Brilliant.**

A few people huff while Kitty narrows her eyes in confusion. And Donovan just so happens to glance back in time to see Moriarty smirk proudly as he watched the screen.

**JIM _(smiling proudly)_ : Isn't it? No-one ever gets to me – and no-one ever will.  
SHERLOCK _(cocking the pistol)_ : _I_ did.  
JIM: You've come the closest. Now you're in my way.  
SHERLOCK: Thank you.  
JIM: Didn't mean it as a compliment.  
SHERLOCK: Yes you did.  
JIM _(shrugging)_ : Yeah, okay, I did. But the flirting's over, Sherlock ... _(His voice becomes high-pitched and sing-song.)_ Daddy's had enough now!**

A few people cringe, both at his high voice and his words.

**_(He again starts to stroll closer.)_  
JIM _(back to his normal tone)_ : I've shown you what I can do. I cut loose all those people, all those little problems, even thirty million quid just to get you to come out and play.**

**John is starting to feel the strain and closes his eyes briefly. Sherlock's eyes can't help but flicker across to him a couple of times as he tries to keep his focus on the man approaching them.**

Mrs Hudson squeezes John's hand tighter and Molly looks over at her friend. As if making sure he was really there.

**JIM: So take this as a friendly warning, my dear. Back off.  
 _(He smiles.)_  
JIM: Although I have _loved_ this – this little game of ours. _(He puts on his London accent for a moment.)_ Playing Jim from I.T. _(He switches back to his Irish accent.)_ Playing gay. Did you like the little touch with the underwear?  
SHERLOCK: People have died.  
JIM: That's what people _DO!_**

Everyone winces at that, and even Kitty looked slightly disgust. But she brushed it off as Jim being a good actor, even though a little seed of doubt planted itself in her mind.

**_(He screams the last word furiously, his personality changing in an instant.)_  
SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : I _will_ stop you.  
JIM _(calmer again)_ : No you won't.  
 _(Sherlock looks across to John.)_  
SHERLOCK: You all right?**

**John deliberately keeps his gaze away from his friend, presumably having been given instructions earlier about not talking to him. Jim walks forward again and reaches his side.**

**JIM: You can talk, Johnny-boy. Go ahead.  
 _(Refusing to specifically obey Jim's orders, John meets Sherlock's eyes and nods once. Sherlock takes one hand off the pistol and holds out the memory stick towards Jim.)_  
SHERLOCK: Take it.  
JIM: Huh? Oh! That!  
 _(He strolls past John and reaches out for the stick, grinning.)_  
JIM: The missile plans!**

Mycroft winces as he watches his brother give away those plans.

**He takes the stick from Sherlock's fingers and brings it to his mouth, kissing it. Behind him, John is silently murmuring to himself, perhaps trying to keep himself focussed, perhaps winding himself up to take action, or maybe just expressing his surprise or disappointment that Sherlock lied to him about giving the plans to Mycroft. Jim lowers the memory stick and looks at it.**

**JIM _(sing-song)_ : Boring!  
 _(He shakes his head.)_  
JIM: I could have got them anywhere.**

**He nonchalantly tosses the stick into the pool. Seeing his opportunity, John races forward and slams himself against Jim's back, wrapping one arm around his neck and the other around his chest. Sherlock backs up a step in surprise but keeps the pistol raised and aimed at Jim.**

**JOHN: Sherlock, run!**

Mrs Hudson squeezes Johns hand painfully tighter at that. Everyone close to John winces, fearing for their friend even though they knew he was going to be alright.

**_(Jim laughs in delight.)_  
JIM: _Good!_ _Very_ good.  
 _(Sherlock doesn't move, still aiming his gun at Jim's head but now starting to look up a little anxiously, as if wondering what action the hidden sniper might take.)_  
JOHN _(savagely)_ : If your sniper pulls that trigger, Mr Moriarty, then we both go up.  
JIM _(calmly, to Sherlock)_ : Isn't he sweet? I can see why you like having him around. But then people do get so sentimental about their pets.**

Mycroft frowned, he was pretty sure he just saw the shadowy figure stiffen in anger, but he couldn't be sure.

**_(Grimacing angrily, John pulls him even closer onto the bomb which is now sandwiched between them. Jim scowls round at him.)_  
JIM: They're so touchingly loyal. But, _oops!  
(He grins briefly at John, then looks towards Sherlock.)_  
JIM: You've rather shown your hand there, Doctor Watson.**

**He chuckles as a new laser point appears in the middle of Sherlock's forehead. John stares in horror as Jim looks round at him expectantly. Sherlock, either seeing the edge of the laser beam shining from the gallery or realising what's happening from John's expression, shakes his head slightly.**

Everyone hisses slightly at the sight of the laser at Sherlock, their eyes narrowing at Moriarty's next words.

**JIM _(sing-song)_ : Gotcha!**

**He chuckles as John releases his grip on him and steps back, holding his hands up to signal to the sniper that he won't be trying anything else. Jim glances round at him, then turns back towards Sherlock while brushing his hands down his suit to straighten it. He gestures to it indignantly.**

**JIM: Westwood! _  
(He lowers his hands and stands calmly in front of Sherlock who is still aiming the pistol at his head.)_  
JIM: D'you know what happens if you don't leave me alone, Sherlock, to _you_?  
SHERLOCK _(sounding bored)_ : Oh, let me guess: I get killed.  
JIM: Kill you? _(He grimaces.)_ N-no, don't be obvious. I mean, I'm gonna kill you anyway some day. I don't wanna rush it, though. I'm saving it up for something special. No-no-no-no-no. If you don't stop prying, I'll _burn_ you.  
 _(He runs his eyes briefly down Sherlock's body, then meets his eyes again and his voice becomes vicious.)_  
JIM: I'll burn the _heart_ out of you.**

John and those who believe that Sherlock is innocent winces, because in the end that's kind of what he did didn't he?

**_(His face is a snarl as he says the word 'heart' but at the end of the sentence he looks almost regretful.)_  
SHERLOCK _(softly)_ : I have been reliably informed that I don't have one.  
JIM: But we both know that's not _quite_ true.  
 _(Sherlock blinks involuntarily. Jim looks down, smiling, then shrugs.)_  
JIM: Well, I'd better be off.  
 _(He nonchalantly looks around, perhaps checking his exit route, before turning back to Sherlock.)_  
JIM: Well, so nice to have had a proper chat.  
 _(Sherlock raises the pistol higher and extends it closer to Jim's head.)_  
SHERLOCK: What if I was to shoot you now – right now?  
JIM _(completely unperturbed)_ : Then you could cherish the look of surprise on my face.  
 _(He opens his eyes and mouth wide, mimicking shock, then grins at Sherlock.)_  
JIM: 'Cause I'd be surprised, Sherlock; really I would.  
 _(He screws up his nose.)_  
JIM: And just a teensy bit disappointed. And of course you wouldn't be able to cherish it for very long.  
 _(Slowly he begins to turn away.)_  
JIM: Ciao, Sherlock Holmes.  
 _(Looking back at Sherlock with some distaste, he walks calmly towards the side door through which John came earlier. Sherlock slowly steps forward to keep him in view.)_  
SHERLOCK: Catch ... you ... later.  
 _(The door opens and Jim's voice can be heard, high-pitched and sing-song.)_  
JIM: No you won't!**

Anderson and Lestrade huffs that he managed to get away, though they were mostly angry at themselves for not believing in Sherlock sooner.

**The door closes. Sherlock doesn't move for a few seconds, his gun still aimed towards the door, then his gaze drifts across to John and he instantly bends, putting the pistol on the floor, then drops to his knees in front of John and starts unfastening the vest to which the bomb is attached.**

**SHERLOCK: All right?  
 _(John tilts his head back, breathing heavily.)_  
SHERLOCK _(urgently)_ : Are you all right?**

The Yarders, Molly, Mrs Hudson and John can't help but smile, because Sherlock realy did have a heart. 

**JOHN: Yeah-yeah, I'm fine.  
 _(Having unfastened the vest, Sherlock jumps up and hurries round behind John, starting to pull off the jacket and the bomb vest.)_  
JOHN: I'm fine.  
 _(Sherlock, also breathing too fast, continues tugging at the jacket and vest.)_  
JOHN: Sherlock.  
 _(Finally Sherlock manages to roughly strip the jacket and vest off John's arms.)_  
JOHN: Sh- _Sherlock_!  
 _(Sherlock bends and skims the items as far away along the floor as he can, while John staggers at the vehemence with which his friend just ripped them off him.)_  
JOHN _(softly)_ : Jesus.**

**He reaches up and pulls the earpiece from his ear, breathing heavily as delayed shock begins to hit him. Sherlock turns and stares at him for a moment, then hurries back to pick up the pistol before racing towards the door through which Moriarty left. John's knees buckle and he staggers towards the nearest support, the edge of one of the changing cubicles.**

**JOHN: Oh, Christ.**

**He turns and drops down into a squat, bracing his back against the cubicle's edge while he blows out a long breath and tries to calm himself down. Sherlock comes back in, having apparently seen no sign of Moriarty outside. He starts to pace up and down near John, so hyper and distracted that he doesn't even realise that he is scratching his head with the business end of a loaded and cocked pistol.**

**JOHN _(breathlessly)_ : Are _you_ okay?  
SHERLOCK _(quick fire, still pacing and scratching his head with the gun)_ : Me? Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine. Fine.  
 _(He turns to John, wide-eyed and breathless.)_  
SHERLOCK: That, er ... _thing_ that you, er, that you did – that, um ... _(he clears his throat)_ ... you offered to do. That was, um ... good.  
JOHN _(staring blankly ahead of himself)_ : I'm glad no-one saw that.**

**Sherlock had temporarily lowered his hand long enough not to be risking accidentally shooting himself in the head, although he had terrible jitters as he held the gun down by his side. Now he lifts the gun again and rubs his chin while looking down at John in confusion.**

**SHERLOCK: Hmm?  
JOHN _(still not meeting his eyes)_ : You, ripping my clothes off in a darkened swimming pool. People might talk.**

The Yarders laugh at John, while said man blushes.

**_(Sherlock shrugs.)_  
SHERLOCK: People do little else.**

**He looks down at John, then grins. John snorts laughter and then leans forward and prepares to stand up. But before he can move, the beam from a sniper's laser begins to dance over his chest. John looks down at it and his face fills with horror.**

"Wait?" A few people shrieked glaring at Moriarty as their hearts started racing again.

**JOHN _(anguished)_ : Oh ...  
 _(A door near the deep end of the pool opens and Jim comes through, clapping his hands together and turning to face our heroes.)_  
JIM _(cheerfully)_ : Sorry, boys! I'm soooooo changeable!**

**John grimaces in disbelief. Sherlock keeps his back to Jim, looking up into the gallery to try and judge how many snipers there might be up there. It's becoming clear that there are quite a few because there are at least two laser points hovering over John, and at least three more travelling over Sherlock's body. Jim laughs and spreads his arms wide.**

**JIM: It is a weakness with me but, to be fair to myself, it is my _only_ weakness.  
 _(He lowers his hands and puts them in his pockets. Sherlock turns his head and looks down at John, who lifts his own head to meet his gaze.)_  
JIM: You can't be allowed to continue. You just can't. I _would_ try to convince you but ... _(he laughs and his voice becomes higher pitched again)_ ... everything I have to say has already crossed your mind!**

**Sherlock, who had looked away from John for a moment, now turns and looks down at him again, his face showing no emotion but his eyes screaming a silent request. John responds instantly with a tiny nod, giving him full permission to do whatever he deems necessary.**

**SHERLOCK _(turning to face Jim)_ : Probably my answer has crossed yours.**

**He raises the pistol and aims it at him. Jim smiles confidently with no fear in his expression. Slowly Sherlock lowers the pistol downwards until it's pointing directly at the bomb jacket. All three sets of eyes lock onto the jacket, John breathing heavily, Sherlock calm. Jim tilts his head, looking a little anxious for the first time. As Sherlock holds his hand steady, continuing to aim towards the jacket, Jim lifts his head and locks eyes with his nemesis. Sherlock gazes back at him and Jim begins to smile. Sherlock's eyes narrow slightly.**

"What? No! What happens next?" Anderson cries as the screen suddenly turns black. 

"You can't just leave it like that!" Lestrade adds.

But the screen never went back on.


	16. Halfway (00x00)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

“Come on!” Anderson cries, looking around as if he could find a remote around. The screen didn’t go back to Sherlock and Moriarty’s big face-off in the pool, instead, the white words appeared. 

\----

**Apologies, apparently this case spills into the next one. So sit patiently while I get the next case ready.**

**And please, no spoilers for those who know what is going to happen.**

\----

Anderson huffs, but he and the others settle down. It hadn’t taken the being, or whatever was doing this to them, to get the other cases ready so it wasn’t like they had to wait long. Besides, they all knew that Sherlock and John would get out fine, for now. 

On the other side of the room, Kitty turned to Moriarty. “That must have been terrifying,” She comments, sympathy lacing her voice. “I can’t imagine what it was like to have to go through that,”

“Sherlock didn’t make him do anything!” Anderson snapped at her. Now fully believing that the genius detective wasn’t a fraud. John smiled slightly at someone else convinced that Sherlock was a good person. He glanced over at Donovan, the sergeant didn’t look all that sure anymore, but she didn’t say anything. 

“You’re being an idiot, of course, Sherlock did everything,” Kitty snaps back. Shaking her head like Anderson was the idiot. Kitty turned to Moriarty, ignoring the angry looks everyone shot her. “You didn’t really have to shoot someone did you?” She questioned, trying to subtly get information about what happened next. She didn’t care what the person said, she wanted to know what happened now. 

“The person says not to ask for spoilers,” Molly pointed out. Afterall the person, or whatever was behind everything had powers beyond their knowledge and it was kind of terrifying. 

“I don’t care what they said, we have a right to know what happens,” Kitty responds, before turning back to Moriarty.

The criminal consultant opens his mouth to respond. Yet no sound comes out. He frowns in confusion and tries to speak again. No sound came out again.

\----

**I said no SPOILERS!!!!**

**You didn’t listen, so now you have no voice,**

\----

John, Lestrade, Molly, Anderson and Mrs Hudson all chuckle at the words on the screen and Moriarty’s put off look as he tries to talk again.

“Okay what the hell is going on,” Kitty finally questions. Now that she didn’t have the case to watch and distract her the fear started creeping in, especially as she realises that Moriarty really couldn’t speak. 

John glares at her, half tempted to not tell her. Yet the women truly looked afraid now, and for all her faults, John just couldn’t do that to her. “We don’t really know, we just arrived here in a flash of white like you,” He started wincing as he realised just how little they actually know. “Apparently whoever is behind this wants all of us to watch Sherlock’s big cases to prove that he isn’t a fraud,” 

“And whoever this being is, they’re powerful, apparently they can send us back to when they picked us up,” Anderson piped up.

“Though so far, whoever it is, hasn’t hurt us, and the food isn’t poisoned or anything,” Lestrade added, as he went up to get some food. Kitty, who had become more worried at Anderson’s words, relaxed at his.

“So far, we have watched three, that one, and two before you got here,” Mycroft added because he couldn’t be left out of the conversation. “Though I don’t know how many others there are,”

\----

**There are three more cases left, we’re halfway**

\----

Mycroft nodded at the t.v. 's words but didn't say anything else on the topic, figuring the others could read.

“And who’s that?” Moriarty’s voice shocked most of them, as they all spun around to glare at him. 

“You’re not supposed to be able to talk,” John growls in annoyance. Moriarty smirks over at him. 

“I’m not going to spoil anything anymore, so there’s no reason to keep me mute,” He points out. John huffs, in annoyance but doesn’t respond.

“We don’t know who he is,” Donovan answers. “He was here when we all got teleported in, apparently the being behind the tv covered him in shadows to hide their identity, and that their identity will be revealed, some time,” The end of her little speech was aimed at the tv, as her tone turned questioning.

\----

**I will reveal his identity after you watch the last case,**

\----

No one spoke at the new words. After all, no one really knew what to say.

\----

**If you don’t have any more questions, the next case is ready,**

\----

When no one says anything, the words disappear to reveal the next case.


	17. A Scandal in Belgravia (01x02 part 1/4)

\--3rd P.O.V.--

**_SWIMMING POOL - NIGHT  
_ ** **The episode picks up precisely where "The Great Game" left off, with Sherlock aiming the pistol down at the bomb jacket.**

“Thank god it still starts off in the same spot,” Anderson sighs in relief.

**As he and Jim Moriarty stare at each other, the introduction to The Bee Gees' song "Stayin' Alive" begins to play tinnily. Sherlock and John look around, confused. Jim briefly closes his eyes and sighs in exasperation.**

“What the hell is that?” Lestrade questions, John shakes his head when he looks over at him. No one notices Moriarty’s annoyed look.

**JIM:** **D'you mind if I get that?**

The Yarders, John, Molly and Mrs Hudson all laughed as they realised what was happening. “Did you seriously forget to turn your phone off during a meeting like that?” Molly giggled and Moriarty growled quietly to himself.

**SHERLOCK (nonchalantly):** **No, no, please. You've got the rest of your life.**

“Did Sherlock just use sarcasm?” Anderson questioned, smirking slightly. The others all nod slightly.

**_(Jim takes his phone from his pocket and answers it)  
_ ** **JIM:** **Hello? ... Yes, of** **_course_ ** **it is. What do you want?  
** _**(He mouths 'Sorry' at Sherlock, who sarcastically mouths 'Oh, fine' back at him. Jim rolls his eyes as he listens to the phone, turning away)** _

“God this was so not worth the suspension,” Anderson muttered as the screen went silent.

_**(Sherlock for a moment, then he spins back around, his face full of fury)  
** _ **JIM (loudly into phone):** **SAY THAT AGAIN!**

“I wonder who he's talking to,” Donovan mused.

**_(Sherlock frowns)  
_ ** **JIM (venomously, into phone):** **Say that again, and know that if you're lying to me, I will find you and I will ssssskin you.  
** **_(He hisses out the 's' of 'skin.' Sherlock briefly looks round at John)  
_ ** **JIM (into phone):** **Wait.  
** _**(Lowering the phone, he begins to walk forward. Sherlock looks at the bomb jacket and fretfully adjusts the grip on his pistol as Jim approaches. Jim stops at the jacket and gazes down at the floor thoughtfully before lifting his eyes to Sherlock)  
** _ **JIM:** **Sorry. Wrong day to die.**

“What’s with all these mood changes?” Mrs Hudson mutters under her breath. “It’s almost like his going through menopause,” She adds, much to the amusement of everyone around her.

**SHERLOCK (casually):** **Oh. Did you get a better offer?  
** **_(Jim looks down at the phone, then turns and slowly starts to walk away.)  
_ ** **JIM:** **You'll be hearing from me, Sherlock.  
** **_(He strolls back around the pool towards the door through which he originally came, lifting the phone to his ear again)  
_ ** **JIM (into phone):** **So if you have what you say you have, I will make you rich. If you don't, I'll make you into shoes.**

“Who are you talking to?” Kitty questioned, confused as to why Sherlock didn’t have his heroic moment. Moriarty doesn’t respond, not wanting to risk losing his voice again.

**Reaching the door, he raises his free hand and clicks his fingers. Instantly all the lasers focused on Sherlock and John disappear. As Jim walks through the door and vanishes from sight, Sherlock looks around the gallery but apparently can see no sign of the retreating snipers.**

Molly and Mrs Hudson all breathe a sigh of relief when the snipers disappear. Glad that the two boys were safe. 

**_(John sighs out a relieved breath)  
_ ** **JOHN:** **What happened there?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Someone changed his mind. The question is: who?  
**

**_SOMEWHERE - NIGHT  
_ ** **Elsewhere, a woman's hand lowers her phone and switches it off. Wearing a pair of black Brazilian knickers under a sheer lace robe, she walks from the landing into a bedroom, lashing a riding crop against the door jamb as she speaks.**

**IRENE:** **Well now. Have you been wicked, Your Highness?  
** **_(Inside the bedroom, a pair of naked legs can be seen lying on a bed. The person's ankles appear to be tied to the foot of the bed)  
_ ** **SULTRY FEMALE VOICE:** **Yes, Miss Adler.**

Everyone, expect for Mycroft, Moriarty and John all blinked in shock, Mrs Hudson cringing away. Mycroft sighed, John glaring at Irene while Moriarty smirked.  


**_221B BAKER STREET - DAY_ ** **_  
_ ** **_MAY 30.  
_ ** **John is sitting at the dining table in the living room updating his blog on his laptop. Sherlock, wearing a red dressing gown over his shirt and trousers, is standing at the other side of the table drinking from a mug while leafing through a newspaper.**

**SHERLOCK:** **What are you typing?  
** **JOHN:** **Blog.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **About?  
** ** JOHN: ** **Us.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **You mean me.**

Kitty blinked in shock, why wouldn’t Sherlock, the mastermind behind everything want a blog written about him. Before she pushed the thought away, after all Sherlock was probably just acting like he didn’t like it.

**JOHN:** **Why?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Well, you're typing a lot.  
** **_(The doorbell rings)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **Right then.** **_(He walks towards the door)_ ** **So, what have we got?**

Those who actually like Sherlock, namely John, Mrs Hudson and Molly, with Lestrade and Anderson all laugh in amusement as they notice the Smiley face Sherlock had drawn on the wall.

**Over a period of many weeks, people are coming to 221B to consult with Sherlock. Each of them sits on a dining chair facing the fireplace as he or she speaks.**

**MAN:** **My wife seems to be spending a very long time at the office.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Boring.  
** **WOMAN:** **I think my husband might be having an affair.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Yes.  
** **CREEPY GUY (holding a funeral urn):** **She's not my real aunt. She's been replaced – I** **_know_ ** **she has. I** **_know_ ** **human ash.**

“Creepy,” Anderson muttered under his breath.

**SHERLOCK (pointing to the door):** **Leave.  
** **BUSINESSMAN (sitting on the dining chair while two aides stand behind him):** **We are prepared to offer any sum of money you care to mention for the recovery of these files.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Boring.  
** **GEEKY YOUNG MAN (sitting on the dining chair while two other geeky young men stand behind him):** **We have this website. It explains the true meaning of comic books, 'cause people miss a lot of the themes.  
** **_(Sherlock is already walking away, disinterested)  
_ ** **GEEKY YOUNG MAN:** **But then all the comic books started coming true.  
** **_(Sherlock comes back)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **Oh. Interesting.  
** **_(Later, John is sitting in his armchair and updating his blog again. He has titled the entry "The Geek Interpreter." Sherlock leans over his shoulder)_ **

“Did Sherlock really take that case?” Molly questions in shock.

“Yep,” John muttered.

**SHERLOCK:** **'Geek Interpreter.' What's that?  
** **JOHN:** **It's the title.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **What does it need a title for?  
** **_(John smiles tightly. Sherlock straightens up and walks away)_ **

**_MORGUE - DAY  
_ ** **Sherlock is using his magnifier to look at a woman's body lying on the table. John is standing at the other side of the table and Detective Inspector Lestrade is nearby.**

**SHERLOCK:** **Do people actually read your blog?  
** **JOHN:** **Where d'you think our clients come from?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **I have a website.  
** **JOHN:** **In which you enumerate two hundred and forty different types of tobacco ash. Nobody's reading your website.  
** **_(Sherlock straightens up and glares at him, then pouts adorably momentarily as John continues to look at the body)_ **

A few people chuckle at Sherlock’s annoyed look.

**JOHN:** **Right then: dyed blonde hair; no obvious cause of death except for these speckles, whatever they are.  
** **_(He points at the tiny red marks on the woman's body but Sherlock has already turned and flounced out of the room)_ **

**_ 221B BAKER STREET - DAY  
_ ** **Later, back at the flat, John is updating his blog again. Sherlock walks past eating a piece of toast. He stops and looks at the title for this entry.**

**SHERLOCK (with his mouth full):** **Oh, for God's sakes!  
** **JOHN:** **What?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **"The Speckled Blonde"?!**

**John purses his lips as Sherlock walks away again. On another occasion, two little girls are sitting together on one of the dining chairs while Sherlock paces in front of the fireplace.**

**LITTLE GIRL:** **They wouldn't let us see Granddad when he was dead. Is that 'cause he'd gone to heaven?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **People don't really go to heaven when they die. They're taken to a special room and burned.**

Mrs Hudson and Lestrade both wince at Sherlock’s words.

**_(The two girls look at each other in distress)  
_ ** **JOHN** **_(reprovingly)_ ** **:** **Sherlock ...**

**_CRIME SCENE - DAY  
_ ** **Lestrade is leading Sherlock and John across some open ground.**

**LESTRADE:** **There was a plane crash in Dusseldorf yesterday. Everyone dead.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Suspected terrorist bomb. We do watch the news.  
** **JOHN:** **You said, "Boring," and turned over.**

**Lestrade leads them to a car which has its boot opened. There's a body inside the boot. While Lestrade continues to speak, Sherlock looks all around the rear of the car.**

**LESTRADE (looking at a bag of evidence):** **Well, according to the flight details, this man was checked in on board. Inside his coat he's got a stub from his boarding pass, napkins from the flight, even one of those special biscuits. Here's his passport stamped in Berlin Airport. So this man should have died in a plane crash in Germany yesterday but instead he's in a car boot in Southwark.  
** **JOHN:** **Lucky escape(!)  
** **LESTRADE (to Sherlock):** **Any ideas?  
** **SHERLOCK (examining the man's hand with his magnifier):** **Eight, so far.  
** **_(He straightens up and looks at the body again, then frowns momentarily)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK: Okay, four ideas.**

**He turns to Lestrade and looks down at the passport and the ticket stub of the passenger, John Coniston, who was meant to be travelling on Flyaway Airways. Straightening up again, he gazes up into the sky.**

**SHERLOCK:** **Maybe** **_two_ ** **ideas.  
** **_(The shadow of a passenger jet passes overhead)_ **

**Back at the flat, Sherlock – wearing heavy protective gloves and safety glasses and carrying a blowtorch in one hand and a glass container of green liquid in the other – has come to the living room table to look at John's latest blog entry which is titled "Sherlock Holmes baffled."**

**SHERLOCK** **_(indignantly)_ ** **:** **No, no, no, don't mention the** **_unsolved_ ** **ones.**

“Miss Kitty, if my brother is the mastermind behind everything, why would he have cases that he couldn’t solve, wouldn’t it make him look better if he had a perfect track record?” Mycroft asked, refusing to not point out something like that. Kitty frowned but didn’t respond, as she didn’t know how to respond.

**JOHN:** **People want to know you're human.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Why?  
** **JOHN:** **'Cause they're interested.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **No they're not.** **_Why_ ** **are they?  
** **_(John smiles at his laptop)  
_ ** **JOHN:** **Look at that.  
** **_(He's looking at the hit counter on the front page of his blog. Its count is currently 1895)  
_ ** **JOHN:** **One thousand, eight hundred and ninety-five.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Sorry, what?  
** **JOHN:** **I re-set that counter last night. This blog has had nearly two thousand hits in the last eight hours.**

“That’s actually really impressive,” Molly commented. “Congrats John,” She thanked.

**JOHN:** **This is your living, Sherlock – not two hundred and forty different types of tobacco ash.  
** **SHERLOCK** **_(sulkily)_ ** **:** **Two hundred and forty-three.  
** **_(Firing up the blowtorch, he puts his safety glasses back on and heads back towards the kitchen)_ **

**_THEATRE - DAY  
_ ** **Sherlock and John are walking across the stage of a theatre while police officers mill around nearby.**

**SHERLOCK:** **So, what's this one? "Belly Button Murders"?  
** **JOHN:** **"The Navel Treatment"?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Eurgh!  
** **_(They walk backstage and meet up with Lestrade as they head for the exit)  
_ ** **LESTRADE:** **There's a lot of press outside, guys.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Well, they won't be interested in us.  
** **LESTRADE:** **Yeah, that was before you were an internet phenomenon. A couple of them specifically wanted photographs of you two.  
** **SHERLOCK (exasperated, glaring round at John):** **For God's sake!**

Kitty frowns, remembering how Sherlock treated her. It was kind of nice that it wasn't a personal thing.

**John quirks a smile as they walk on, then Sherlock spots some costumes on a rack just inside a nearby dressing room. He walks in and grabs a couple of items off the rack.**

**SHERLOCK:** **John.  
** **_(He tosses a cap at him)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **Cover your face and walk fast.  
** **LESTRADE:** **Still, it's good for the public image, a big case like this.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **I'm a private detective. The last thing I need is a public image.**

**He puts on the other hat that he had picked up – a deerstalker – and heads out the exit door pulling the hat as low as possible over his eyes and tugging up the collar of his coat. Outside, photographers start taking pictures of him and John.**

**_SOMEWHERE - DAY  
_ ** **Later, some of the pictures have been used in various newspapers, together with headlines such as "Hat-man and Robin: The web detectives", "Sherlock Net 'Tec", "Sherlock & John: Blogger Detectives" and "Sherlock Holmes: net phenomenon".**

**The last of these newspaper reports has caught the attention of Irene Adler, who slowly strokes her hand over the photograph of Sherlock, then runs her hand along her riding crop before laying it down on top of the photograph. She picks up her phone and dials.**

John glared at the Irene on screen.

**IRENE (into phone):** **Hello. I think it's time, don't you?**

“What is she talking about?” Lestrade questions.

**_221B BAKER STREET - DAY  
_ ** **Mrs Hudson picks up a mug and an almost empty bottle of milk from the mantelpiece and walks into the kitchen, tutting in exasperation at the mess in there. Putting the mug onto the table she takes the milk across to the fridge door and opens it, recoiling from the smell emanating from inside. Putting the milk into the fridge door she picks up the offending smelly item and drops it into the bin, then pulls open the salad crisper at the bottom and takes out a clear plastic bag from it. Peering at the contents, she cringes when she realises what's inside.**

**MRS HUDSON:** **Ooh dear! Thumbs!**

Kitty scrunches her face up in disgust while the others all roll their eyes, already used to this.

**She drops the bag back into the salad crisper, then turns as an overweight man stumbles into the kitchen from the landing and stares at her wide-eyed and confused.**

**MAN:** **The door was ... the door was ...  
** **_(He breathes heavily, then drops to the floor in a faint. Mrs Hudson stares at him in terror for a moment, then calls out)  
_ ** **MRS HUDSON:** **Boys! You've got another one!  
** **_(She bends down to the unconscious man)_ **

“That’s one way to make an entrance,” Donovan muses with a snort.

**MRS HUDSON:** **Ooh!**

**Later the man – whose name is Phil – has regained consciousness and is sitting on a dining chair facing the fireplace, staring rather blankly in front of himself. John is sitting on the sofa behind him and Sherlock is out of sight but presumably pacing.**

**SHERLOCK (sternly):** **Tell us from the start.** **_Don't_ ** **be boring.**

**_COUNTRYSIDE - DAY  
_ ** **Flashback to fourteen hours earlier. Somewhere out in the countryside Phil's car has broken down in a quiet country lane. He tries to start the engine for what is apparently the umpteenth time but it just whines and refuses to start. Phil slams his hands angrily onto the steering wheel and gets out again to stare uselessly down under the open bonnet and tweak a few connections hopefully. He looks around but there is no sign of any other traffic. He looks into the field at the side of the road. The field stretches down to a river some distance away and a man wearing a red jacket is standing at the edge of a stream which leads down to the river. He has his back to the road. Phil peers at him for a moment but he's too far away to have even noticed what's happening on the road and eventually Phil gets back into the car again and tries once more to start the engine. It whines ferociously and then loudly backfires. Phil sighs, then looks across towards the river and realises that the man is now lying on the ground. He gets out of the car and stares.**

**PHIL (calling out):** **Hey! Are you okay?  
** **_(The man doesn't respond or react)  
_ ** **PHIL (starting to walk towards him):** **Excuse me! Are you all right?**

**As yet unseen by Phil, the man has fallen onto his back. There is a lot of blood underneath the back of his head.**

Everyone except Moriarty and Mycroft all wince in horror at the sight of the dead body.

**_COUNTRYSIDE - LATER  
_ ** **Many hours later a crime scene has been set up at the riverside. A young police officer brings a mobile phone over to Detective Inspector Carter.**

**POLICE OFFICER:** **Sir. Phone call for you.  
** **CARTER** **_(taking the phone and speaking into it)_ ** **:** **Carter.  
** **_(Lestrade is at the other end of the line, sitting in his car in Baker Street)  
_ ** **LESTRADE:** **Have you heard of Sherlock Holmes?  
** **CARTER:** **Who?  
** **LESTRADE:** **Well, you're about to meet him now. This is** **_your_ ** **case. It's entirely up to you. This is just friendly advice, but give Sherlock five minutes on your crime scene and listen to everything that he has to say. And as far as possible, try not to punch him.**

Lestrade shrugs when people glance at him. The others laughed slightly.

**While Lestrade has been speaking, a car has driven up and stopped near the crime scene. Carter looks at the phone in bewilderment as Lestrade ends the call. The young police officer has been leaning into the car speaking to the person in the back seat.**

**POLICE OFFICER:** **Okay.  
** **_(He turns to Carter as he approaches)  
_ ** **POLICE OFFICER:** **Sir, this gentleman says he needs to speak to you.  
** **CARTER:** **Yes, I know.** **_(He walks closer to the car)_ ** **Sherlock Holmes.  
** **JOHN (getting out of the car and shaking Carter's hand):** **John Watson. Are you set up for Wi-Fi?**

**_221B BAKER STREET - DAY  
_ ** **Yawning, Sherlock wanders out from the hallway behind the kitchen and strolls into the kitchen wearing only a sheet wrapped around him.**

Everyone laughs, while Kitty rolls her eyes in disgust.

**JOHN (offscreen):** **You realise this is a tiny bit humiliating?  
** **SHERLOCK (still yawning as he picks up a mug of tea from the side table):** **It's okay, I'm fine.  
** **_(He walks over to an open laptop on the work surface, picks it up and looks into the screen as he carries the laptop into the living room)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **Now, show me to the stream.  
** **JOHN (offscreen):** **I didn't really mean for you.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Look, this is a six.  
** **_(He sits down at the table in the living room and puts the laptop onto the table. Just then the doorbell rings but he ignores it)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK (adjusting the screen so that his face can be seen by the laptop's camera):** **There's no point in my leaving the flat for anything less than a seven. We agreed. Now, go back. Show me the grass.**

**_COUNTRYSIDE - DAY  
_ ** **John is at the crime scene and has walked down to the stream while Skyping with Sherlock. He points the camera on his own laptop towards the grass at the stream's edge and squats down.**

**JOHN:** **When did we agree that?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **We agreed it yesterday. Stop!  
** **_(He leans closer to the screen and looks at the mud on the ground)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **Closer.  
** **_(Instead of following his instructions, John swings the laptop around so that he can look into the camera)  
_ ** **JOHN:** **I wasn't even at home yesterday. I was in Dublin.**

“I still can’t believe that he doesn’t realise when you leave,” Anderson commented, though there was no hatred in his voice.

**SHERLOCK:** **Well, it's hardly** **_my_ ** **fault you weren't listening.  
** **_(The doorbell rings more insistently. Sherlock briefly looks round in the direction of the stairs)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK (angrily):** **SHUT UP!  
** **JOHN:** **D'you just carry on talking when I'm away?  
** **SHERLOCK (shrugging as he turns back to the camera):** **I don't know. How often are you away? Now, show me the car that backfired.  
** **_(Sighing, John stands up and turns the laptop and its camera towards the road to show Phil's car)  
_ ** **JOHN:** **It's there.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **That's the one that made the noise, yes?  
** **JOHN** **_(swinging the camera back around to look into it)_ ** **:** **Yeah. And if you're thinking gunshot, there wasn't one. He wasn't shot; he was killed by a single blow to the back of the head from a blunt instrument which then magically disappeared along with the killer. That's gotta be an eight at least.**

**Sherlock has leaned back in his chair and is running his finger back and forth over his top lip while he thinks. As John walks back towards the road, Carter follows along behind him.**

**CARTER:** **You've got two more minutes, then I want to know more about the driver.  
****SHERLOCK (waving his hand dismissively):** **Oh, forget him. He's an idiot. Why else would he think himself a suspect?  
****_(Carter catches up to John and leans over to look into the camera)  
_****CARTER:** **_I_** **think he's a suspect!  
****_(Sherlock leans forward angrily)  
_****SHERLOCK:** **Pass me over.  
****JOHN:** **All right, but there's a Mute button and I** ** _will_** **use it.  
****_(He tilts the laptop at an angle that Sherlock's not happy with)  
_****SHERLOCK (irritated):** **Up a bit! I'm not talking from down 'ere!  
****_(John has had enough and offers the laptop to Carter)  
_****JOHN:** **Okay, just take it, take it.**

Laughter rang around the room, at John’s annoyed look, said man blushed slightly.

**_(Carter takes the laptop as Sherlock starts talking at double the usual speed)_ **

**_221B BAKER STREET- DAY  
_ ** **SHERLOCK (quick fire):** **Having driven to an isolated location and successfully committed a crime without a single witness, why would he then call the police and consult a detective? Fair play?(!)**

**CARTER:** **He's trying to be clever. It's over-confidence.  
** **SHERLOCK (sighing in exasperation):** **Did you** **_see_ ** **him? Morbidly obese, the undisguised halitosis of a single man living on his own, the right sleeve of an internet porn addict and the breathing pattern of an untreated heart condition. Low self-esteem, tiny IQ and a limited life expectancy – and you think he's an audacious criminal mastermind?!  
** **_(He turns around to John's chair where – unseen by us until now – Phil has been sitting all the time)_ **

Everyone sighs at the sight of Phil, shaking their head because they had thought Sherlock was getting better at talking to humans. 

**SHERLOCK:** **Don't worry – this is just stupid.  
** **PHIL (anxiously):** **What did you say? Heart** **_what_ ** **?**

They winced again, because that was a terrible way to find out about a heart condition.

**_(Ignoring him, Sherlock turns back to the camera)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **Go to the stream.  
** **CARTER:** **What's in the stream?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Go and see.  
** **_(As Carter hands the laptop back to John, Mrs Hudson comes up the stairs and into the living room followed by two men wearing suits)_ **

“Who are they?” Lestrade questions, concerned for his friend.

“Don’t worry, they won’t hurt him,” Was all John bothered to say.

**MRS HUDSON:** **Sherlock! You weren't answering your doorbell!  
** **_(One of the men, Plummer, looks at his colleague while pointing with his thumb in the direction of the kitchen)  
_ ** **PLUMMER:** **His room's through the back. Get him some clothes.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Who the hell are you?  
** **PLUMMER:** **Sorry, Mr Holmes. You're coming with us.  
** **_(He reaches forward to close down the lid of the laptop)_ **

**_COUNTRYSIDE - DAY  
_ ** **John calls out in alarm.**

**JOHN:** **Sherlock, what's going on? What's happening?  
** **_(As his screen goes black, he pokes at the keyboard frantically)  
_ ** **JOHN:** **I've lost him. I don't know what ...  
** **_(The young police officer hurries over to him with a phone pressed to his ear)  
_ ** **POLICE OFFICER:** **Doctor Watson?  
** **JOHN:** **Yeah.  
** **POLICE OFFICER:** **It's for you.  
** **JOHN:** **Okay, thanks.  
** **_(Still looking at the screen, he holds out his hand for the phone)  
_ ** **POLICE OFFICER:** **Uh, no, sir. The helicopter.  
** **_(They both turn and look at the helicopter which is just coming in to land at the edge of the river)_ **

“Is the person who sent the helicopter to you with the people taking Sherlock?” Donovan questioned.

“Yep,”

**_221B BAKER STREET - DAY  
_ ** **Plummer's colleague has collected a pile of clothes and a pair of shoes and puts them down onto the table in front of Sherlock, who raises his eyebrows and shrugs disinterestedly.**

**PLUMMER:** **Please, Mr Holmes. Where you're going, you'll want to be dressed.**

**Sherlock turns his head, gazes at the man and begins to deduce the hell out of him:**

**_Looking at his clothes:_ ** **Suit £700**

“Wait, what’s that?” Kitty questioned in shock, not having been there the last time the white words appeared.

“They’re Sherlock’s thoughts, to show us how he deduces stuff,” Anderson explained.

**_Glancing at his breast pocket and the area where a pistol would be if Plummer was carrying one:_ ** **Unarmed**

**_Thumbnail:_ ** **Manicured**

**_Forehead:_ ** **Office worker**

**_The way his hands are folded in front of him:_ ** **Right handed**

**_Looking down to his shoes:_ ** **Indoor worker**

**_Seeing some wiry hairs on the cuff of his trouser leg, and imagining a high-pitched yapping sound:_ ** **Small dog**

**_Seeing a mark higher up the same trouser leg and imagining two yapping sounds:_ ** **Two small dogs**

**_Seeing more hairs on the other trouser leg and imagining more yapping:_ ** **Three small dogs**

**_COUNTRYSIDE - DAY  
_ ** **Back at the crime scene, the helicopter takes off.**

**_221B BAKER STREET - DAY  
_ ** **Sherlock smiles smugly and looks up into Plummer's face.**

**SHERLOCK:** **Oh, I know** **_exactly_ ** **where I'm going.**

**_HELICOPTER - DAY  
_ ** **Some time later, sitting beside the pilot, John frowns and looks down as the helicopter flies over London. As it approaches Buckingham Palace the pilot begins to speak into his comms.**

**_BUCKINGHAM PALACE - DAY  
_ ** **Not long afterwards, John has been shown into an enormous ornate hall with massive crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. He looks around for a moment, then follows his escort who gestures him to a nearby room before walking away. John stops in the doorway. On a small round table in the middle of the room is the pile of clothes and shoes which had been put down in front of Sherlock earlier. There is a sofa either side of the table and sitting on the left-hand one is Sherlock, still wrapped in his sheet.**

“Did he seriously leave his house in a sheet?” Kitty questioned, and the others all nodd in response.

**He calmly looks across to John. John holds out his hands in a "What the hell?!" gesture. Sherlock shrugs disinterestedly and looks away again. Nodding in a resigned way, John walks slowly into the room, then sits down on the sofa beside his friend. He gazes in front of himself for a moment, chewing back a giggle, looks around the room again and then looks at Sherlock, peering closely at his sheet and particularly the section wrapped around his backside.**

“Where are you looking?” Lestrade comments teasingly. John blushes slightly. 

**_(He turns his head away again)  
_ ** **JOHN:** **Are you wearing any pants?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **No.  
** **JOHN:** **Okay.**

**He sighs quietly. A moment later Sherlock turns and looks at him just as John also turns to look. Their eyes meet and they promptly burst out laughing.**

“You’re both children,” Mycroft grumbled in annoyance, Mrs Hudson nodding in agreement while John blushed even harder.

**JOHN (gesturing around the building):** **At Buckingham Palace, fine.**

“Are you really at Buckingham Palace?” Kitty questions in shock. Though her shock was more about the fact that Sherlock had known where he was going and still refused to put clothes on.

“Unfortunately,” Mycroft sighed.

**_(He tries to get himself under control)_ ** **  
** **JOHN:** **Oh, I'm seriously fighting an impulse to steal an ashtray.**

Most of them laughed at John’s comment while Mycroft once again sighed.

**_(Sherlock chuckles again)  
_ ** **JOHN:** **What are we doing here, Sherlock? Seriously, what?  
** **SHERLOCK** **_(still smiling)_ ** **:** **I don't know.  
** **JOHN:** **Here to see the Queen?  
** **_(At that moment Mycroft walks in from the next room)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **Oh, apparently yes.**

Once again they laughed while Mycroft sighed. Though for anyone who looked, they could see a small smile tugging on his lips at the sight of his brother so happy.

**_(John cracks up again and Sherlock promptly joins in. The two of them continue to giggle as Mycroft looks at them in exasperation)  
_ ** **MYCROFT:** **Just once, can you two behave like grown-ups?  
** **JOHN:** **We solve crimes, I blog about it and he forgets his pants, so I wouldn't hold out too much hope.**

“That’s actually pretty fitting,” Anderson teased, with a smile.

**_(Sherlock looks up at his brother as he walks into the room, all humour gone from his face)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **I was in the middle of a case, Mycroft.  
** **MYCROFT:** **What, the hiker and the backfire? I glanced at the police report. Bit obvious, surely?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Transparent.  
** **_(John looks startled.)  
_ ** **MYCROFT:** **Time to move on, then.**

**He bends down and picks up the clothes and shoes from the table, turning to offer them to Sherlock. His brother gazes at them uninterestedly. Mycroft sighs.**

**MYCROFT:** **We are in Buckingham Palace, the very heart of the British nation.** **_(Sternly)_ ** **Sherlock Holmes, put your trousers on.  
** **SHERLOCK (shrugging):** **What for?**

Mrs Hudson, Lestrade and Mycroft all sigh at Sherlock still refusing to put clothes on while Kitty scrunches her face up in disgust.

**MYCROFT:** **Your client.  
** **SHERLOCK (standing up):** **And my client is?  
** **EQUERRY:** **Illustrious ...  
** **_(Sherlock turns to look at the man who has just walked into the room)  
_ ** **EQUERRY:** **... in the extreme.  
** **_(John stands up respectfully)  
_ ** **EQUERRY:** **And remaining – I have to inform you – entirely anonymous.  
** **_(He looks across to Mycroft)  
_ ** **EQUERRY:** **Mycroft!  
** **MYCROFT:** **Harry.  
** **_(Smiling, he walks over and shakes the equerry's hand)  
_ ** **MYCROFT:** **May I just apologise for the state of my little brother?  
** **EQUERRY:** **Full-time occupation, I imagine.  
** **_(Sherlock scowls)  
_ ** **EQUERRY:** **And this must be Doctor John Watson, formerly of the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers.  
** **JOHN:** **Hello, yes.  
** **_(They shake hands)  
_ ** **EQUERRY:** **My employer is a tremendous fan of your blog.  
** ** JOHN (looking startled): ** **Your employer?  
** **EQUERRY:** **Particularly enjoyed the one about the aluminium crutch.  
** **JOHN:** **Thank you!  
** **_(He looks round at Sherlock, clearing his throat smugly)  
_ ** **EQUERRY (walking closer to Sherlock):** **And Mr Holmes the younger. You look taller in your photographs.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **I take the precaution of a good coat and a short friend.**

John snorts, still slightly annoyed at that comment, as he tried to annoy the others who laughed at Sherlock’s words.

**_(He walks abruptly past John, forcing him to step back, and approaches his brother)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **Mycroft, I don't do anonymous clients. I'm used to mystery at** **_one_ ** **end of my cases. Both ends is too much work.  
** **_(He looks round to the equerry)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **Good morning.**

**He starts to walk out of the room but Mycroft steps onto the trailing edge of the sheet behind him. Sherlock's impetus carries him forward while pulling the sheet off his body. He stops and grabs at it before he's completely naked and tries to tug it back around himself, looking furious.**

**MYCROFT:** **This is a matter of national importance. Grow up.  
** **_(With his back still turned to his brother, Sherlock speaks through gritted teeth)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **Get off my sheet!  
** **MYCROFT:** **Or what?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Or I'll just walk away.  
** **MYCROFT:** **I'll let you.**

The Yarders, John and Molly all laughed at the siblings' argument. Mycroft sighed at them, while Mrs Hudson hid her own humour.

**JOHN:** **Boys, please. Not here.  
** **SHERLOCK (almost incandescent with rage):** **Who. Is. My.** **_Client_ ** **?  
** **MYCROFT:** **Take a look at where you're standing and make a deduction. You are to be engaged by the highest in the land. Now** **_for God's sake ...  
_ ** **_(He breaks off and glances at the equerry briefly, trying to get his anger under control before he turns back to his brother again)  
_ ** **MYCROFT** **_(exasperated)_ ** **:** **... put your clothes on!**

**Sherlock closes his eyes furiously, then pulls in a sharp breath.**

**_ BUCKINGHAM PALACE - LATER  
_ ** **Some time later, Sherlock has dressed and is sitting on the sofa beside John.**

“Aww I was actually kind of looking forward to Sherlock just walking away,” Anderson couldn’t help but comment teasingly. 

“I bet John would have liked that,” Lestrade comments, sending a smirk over to John who blushes.

“Hey, John is the only one who can see his boyfriend without clothes,” Mrs Hduson says, slapping Anderson over the head. While most started laughing even harder, John blushed.

**Mycroft and the equerry sit on the opposite sofa. Mycroft is pouring tea from a teapot. Following the old-fashioned superstition that only one person in the household – usually the mother of the family – should pour the tea, and so any person pouring tea is "being mother," he looks at the equerry and smiles.**

**MYCROFT:** **I'll be mother.  
** **SHERLOCK (pointedly):** **And there is a whole childhood in a nutshell.  
** **_(Mycroft glowers at him, then puts down the teapot. The equerry looks at Sherlock)  
_ ** **EQUERRY:** **My employer has a problem.  
** **MYCROFT:** **A matter has come to light of an extremely delicate and potentially criminal nature, and in this hour of need, dear brother, your name has arisen.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Why? You have a police force of sorts, even a marginally Secret Service. Why come to me?  
** **EQUERRY:** **People do come to you for help, don't they, Mr Holmes?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Not, to date, anyone with a Navy.**

“Why isn’t Sherlock jumping on the case?” Kitty questions. “It’s obvious he ends up taking it,”

“Because you clearly haven’t been paying attention,” John snapped, feeling annoyed and embarrassed more than angry at Kitty.

**MYCROFT:** **This is a matter of the highest security, and therefore of trust.  
** **JOHN:** **You don't trust your own Secret Service?  
** **MYCROFT:** **Naturally not. They all spy on people for money.**

“That’s actually pretty smart,” Molly mused, before sending an apologetic look over at Mycroft.

**_(John bites back a smile)  
_ ** **EQUERRY:** **I do think we have a timetable.  
** **MYCROFT:** **Yes, of course. Um ...  
** **_(He opens his briefcase, takes out a glossy photograph and hands it to Sherlock who looks at the picture of Irene Adler)_ **

John and Mycroft both glare at the woman in anger.

**MYCROFT:** **What do you know about this woman?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Nothing whatsoever.  
** **MYCROFT:** **Then you should be paying more attention.**

**As he continues to speak, we switch between the palace and footage of Irene who is being driven through London. Her phone trills a text alert and she looks at the message which reads "I'm sending you a treat".**

**MYCROFT:** **She's been at the centre of two political scandals in the last year, and recently ended the marriage of a prominent novelist by having an affair with both participants separately.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **You know I don't concern myself with trivia. Who is she?  
** **MYCROFT:** **Irene Adler, professionally known as The Woman.**

**Arriving at an elegant house in London, Irene's female chauffeur opens the car door for her and then precedes her into the house. Irene's phone shows that it is downloading an image as she walks indoors.**

**JOHN:** **Professionally?  
** **MYCROFT:** **There are many names for what she does. She prefers 'dominatrix.'  
** **SHERLOCK (thoughtfully):** **Dominatrix.  
** **MYCROFT:** **Don't be alarmed. It's to do with sex.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Sex doesn't alarm me.  
** **MYCROFT (smiling snidely at him):** **How would you know?**

“Because John showed him,” Donovan muttered under her breath with a chuckle. Which was mirrored by the Yarders sitting nearest her.

**_(Sherlock raises his head and stares at his brother)  
_ ** **MYCROFT:** **She provides – shall we say – recreational scolding for those who enjoy that sort of thing and are prepared to pay for it.** **_(He takes more photographs from his briefcase and hands them to Sherlock)_ ** **These are all from her website.**

**Sherlock takes the photographs and leafs through them. They are professional-looking publicity shots for her 'services' and show Irene at her glamorous and sexy best. At the same time, walking up the stairs at her house, Irene looks down at her phone and flicks through shots which someone has taken of Sherlock wrapped in his sheet as he left 221B and got into Plummer's car.**

**SHERLOCK:** **And I assume this Adler woman has some compromising photographs.  
** **EQUERRY:** **You're very quick, Mr Holmes.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Hardly a difficult deduction. Photographs of whom?  
** **EQUERRY:** **A person of significance to my employer. We'd prefer not to say any more at this time.  
** **_(Glaring angrily at him, Sherlock puts the photographs down on the table)  
_ ** **JOHN:** **You can't tell us anything?**

“Well, if the employer is being kept a secret then of course they aren’t going to tell you anything.” Lestrade points out.

**MYCROFT:** **I can tell you it's a young person.  
** **_(John drinks from his teacup)  
_ ** **MYCROFT:** **A young** **_female_ ** **person.**

Everyone frowns at the Equerry who grimaces at Mycorft’s words.

**_(John's eyes widen. Sherlock smirks)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **How many photographs?  
** **MYCROFT:** **A considerable number, apparently.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Do Miss Adler and this young female person appear in these photographs together?**

“Do you reckon it’s the same woman from the start of this case?” Anderson questions.

“Obviously,” Mycroft responds.

**MYCROFT:** **Yes, they do.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **And I assume in a number of compromising scenarios.  
** **MYCROFT:** **An imaginative range, we are assured.  
** **_(Without looking round at him, Sherlock realises that John is staring blankly at Mycroft with his teacup still half raised)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **John, you might want to put that cup back in your saucer now.**

They all snort at John.

**_(John quickly does as advised)  
_ ** **EQUERRY:** **Can you help us, Mr Holmes?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **How?  
** **EQUERRY:** **Will you take the case?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **What case? Pay her, now and in full. As Miss Adler remarks in her masthead, "Know when you are beaten."  
** **_(He turns and reaches for his overcoat which is draped on the back of the sofa)  
_ ** **MYCROFT:** **She doesn't want anything.  
** **_(Sherlock turns back towards him)  
_ ** **MYCROFT:** **She got in touch, she informed us that the photographs existed, she indicated that she had no intention to use them to extort either money or favour.  
** **SHERLOCK (finally interested for the first time):** **Oh, a power play. A power play with the most powerful family in Britain. Now that** **_is_ ** **a dominatrix. Ooh, this is getting rather fun, isn't it?**

Both Molly and John frown in jealousy at Sherlock’s interest in the case. Both remembering how this case turned out.

**JOHN:** **Sherlock ...  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Hmm.  
** **_(He turns around and reaches for his coat again)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **Where is she?  
** **MYCROFT:** **Uh, in London currently. She's staying ...  
** **_(Not waiting for him to finish, Sherlock picks up his coat, stands and starts to walk away)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **Text me the details. I'll be in touch by the end of the day.  
** **_(The other three men get to their feet)  
_ ** **EQUERRY:** **Do you really think you'll have news by then?  
** **SHERLOCK (turning back to him):** **No, I think I'll have the photographs.  
** **EQUERRY:** **One can only hope you're as good as you seem to think.**

**Sherlock looks at him sharply, apparently indignant that he should doubt him. We see a stream of deductions as Sherlock glances down his body.**

**_Dog Lover_ **

**_Public School_ **

**_Horse Rider_ **

**_Early Riser_ **

**_Left Side Of Bed_ **

**Sherlock's eyes begin to rise up the man's body again as his deductions continue.**

**_Non-Smoker_ **

**_Father Half Welsh_ **

**_Keen Reader_ **

**_Tea Drinker_ **

**Sherlock looks across to Mycroft.**

**SHERLOCK:** **I'll need some equipment, of course.  
** **MYCROFT:** **Anything you require. I'll have it sent to ...  
** **SHERLOCK** **_(interrupting)_ ** **:** **Can I have a box of matches?  
** **_(He's looking at the equerry as he speaks)  
_ ** **EQUERRY:** **I'm sorry?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Or your cigarette lighter. Either will do.  
** **_(He holds out his hand expectantly)  
_ ** **EQUERRY:** **I don't smoke.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **No, I know** **_you_ ** **don't, but your employer does.  
** **_(After a pause during which John frowns in puzzlement, the equerry reaches into his pocket and takes out a lighter which he hands to Sherlock)  
_ ** **EQUERRY:** **We have kept a lot of people successfully in the dark about this little fact, Mr Holmes.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **I'm not the Commonwealth.  
** **_(Taking the lighter and putting it into his trouser pocket, he turns away)  
_ ** **JOHN (to the equerry):** **And that's as modest as he gets. Pleasure to meet you.  
** **_(He follows after Sherlock as he strolls out of the room)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK (in an Estuary English accent, not sounding the 't' in the word):** **Laters!  
** **_(John throws an apologetic glance over his shoulder as they leave)_ **

**_TAXI - DAY  
_ ** **Not long afterwards, the boys are in a taxi.**

**JOHN:** **Okay, the smoking. How did you know?  
** **_(Sherlock smiles briefly, then shakes his head)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK: The evidence was right under your nose, John. As ever, you see but do not observe.  
** **JOHN:** **Observe what?  
** **_(Sherlock reaches into his coat)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **The ashtray.  
** **_(He pulls out a glass ashtray)_ **

Everyone laughs at the sight of the ashtray, John smiling at the memory as Mycroft groans. Even Kitty found it funny enough not to comment about how this shows that Sherlock wasn’t a moral citizen. 

**John laughs with delight as Sherlock tosses the ashtray into the air, catches it and tucks it back into his coat, chuckling. They are both unaware that someone – presumably in a car driving alongside theirs – is photographing them.**

**_IRENE’S HOUSE - DAY  
_ ** **Some time later, the photos were sent to Irene's phone. Sitting on the side of her bed, she looks through them, smiling, then calls out.**

“That’s actually kind of creepy,” Donovan comments with a wince.

**IRENE:** **Kate!  
** **_(Kate, the woman who drove her earlier, comes into the room.)  
_ ** **IRENE:** **We're going to have a visitor. I'll need a bit of time to get ready.  
** **_(She walks over to her dressing table while Kate bends down to pick up a discarded stocking from the floor)  
_ ** **KATE:** **A long time?  
** **IRENE:** **Ages!**

**Later, wearing a see-through negligee over her knickers and stockings, Irene opens the doors to her enormous walk-in wardrobe and walks inside, running her fingers along her outfits as she decides what to wear.**

**_221B BAKER STREET - DAY  
_ ** **John is sitting at the table in the kitchen while Sherlock hurls clothes around his bedroom. With the door open, the noise is distracting and finally John looks up from what he's reading.**

“What is he doing?” Molly questions, almost at the same time the John on the screen asked.

**JOHN:** **What are you doing?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Going into battle, John. I need the right armour.  
** **_(He walks into view, wearing a large yellow hi-vis jacket)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **No.  
** **_(He rips it off again)_ **

**_IRENE’S HOUSE - DAY  
_ ** **Irene is looking at herself in a full-length mirror, turning side-on to look at the glittery dark purple cocktail dress she's wearing.**

**IRENE:** **Nah.  
** **KATE (leaning against the door jamb):** **Works for me.  
** **IRENE:** **Everything works on you.**

**_TAXI - DAY  
_ ** **Sherlock and John are on the move. Sherlock is wearing his usual coat and scarf.**

“I thought he was going to change his clothes,” Anderson questioned in confusion.

**JOHN:** **So, what's the plan?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **We know her address.  
** **JOHN:** **What, just ring her doorbell?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Exactly.  
** **_(He calls out to the cab driver)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK:** **Just here, please.  
** **JOHN:** **You didn't even change your clothes.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Then it's time to add a splash of colour.**

**_IRENE’S HOUSE - DAY  
_ ** **Irene is doing the same thing as Kate carefully applies make-up to her eyes.**

_ **NEARBY STREET - DAY  
** _ **The boys have got out of the taxi and Sherlock leads John down a narrow street, pulling his scarf off as he goes. Eventually he stops and turns around to face John.**

**JOHN:** **Are we here?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Two streets away, but this'll do.  
** **JOHN:** **For what?  
** **SHERLOCK (gesturing to his own left cheek):** **Punch me in the face.**

“What?” Lestrade questions in shock, echoing what everyone but John was thinking.

**_IRENE’S HOUSE - DAY_ **

**Kate runs her thumb over Irene's mouth, wondering what colour lipstick to apply.**

**KATE:** **Shade?  
** **_(Irene smiles)  
_ ** **IRENE:** **Blood.**

**_NEARBY STREET - DAY_ **

**JOHN:** **Punch you?  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Yes. Punch me, in the face.** **_(He gestures to his left cheek again)_ ** **Didn't you hear me?  
** **JOHN:** **I** **_always_ ** **hear 'punch me in the face' when you're speaking, but it's usually subtext.**

“Everyone always hears punch me when Sherlock speaks,” Lestrade comments, though his voice is fond.

**SHERLOCK (exasperated):** **Oh, for God's sakes.**

**He punches John in the face. As John grunts in pain and reels from the blow, Sherlock shakes out his hand and then blows out a breath, bracing himself. John straightens up and immediately punches Sherlock. However, despite his anger – and his left-handedness – he does so right-handed and therefore strikes him on the left cheek just as Sherlock had indicated.**

**JOHN:** **Ow!**

**Turning away as Sherlock picks himself up, he flexes his hand painfully and examines his knuckles. Sherlock finally straightens up, holding his fingers to the cut on his cheek.**

**SHERLOCK:** **Thank you. That was – that was ...  
** **_(Still fighting right-handed, John punches him in the stomach, sending him crashing to the ground)_ **

“I think you’re supposed to stop,” Mrs Hudson comments teasingly. John sent her a small smile and a shrug.

**_IRENE’S HOUSE - DAY  
_ ** **Slowly Kate paints blood-red lipstick onto Irene's mouth.**

**_NEARBY STREET - DAY  
_ ** **Sherlock is doubled over with John on his back half–strangling him. John's face is contorted with pent-up anger and frustration, and Sherlock is struggling to pull his hands off him.**

**SHERLOCK (half-choking):** **Okay! I think we're done now, John.  
****JOHN (savagely):** **You wanna remember, Sherlock: I was a soldier. I killed people.  
****SHERLOCK:** **You were a doctor!  
****JOHN:** **_I had bad days!_**

Laughter fills the room at John’s words.

**_IRENE’S HOUSE - DAY  
_ ** **Kate finishes painting Irene's lips.**

**KATE:** **What are you gonna wear?  
** **IRENE:** **My battle dress.**

“I wonder what that would be for someone like her,” Molly questioned, her jealousy leaking into her voice.

**KATE:** **Ooh! Lucky boy!  
** **_(Downstairs, the intercom buzzes. Kate goes downstairs and activates it, looking at the camera footage from the front door)  
_ ** **KATE (into intercom):** **Hello?**

**Sherlock stares into the camera wide-eyed and flustered. He talks in an anxious, tearful, posh voice and keeps looking around behind him as he speaks.**

**SHERLOCK:** **Ooh! Um, sorry to disturb you. Um, I've just been attacked, um, and, um, I think they ... they took my wallet and, um, and my phone. Umm, please could you help me?**

They all blinked in shock at how distressed SHerlock sounded. Even if they knew he was a good actor it was still surprisingly.

**_(Kate has been holding back her laughter while listening to him)  
_ ** **KATE:** **I can phone the police if you want.  
** **SHERLOCK (tearfully):** **Thank you, thank you! Could you, please?**

**He takes a step back and the camera now shows that his shirt is buttoned right up to the top and there is a piece of white plastic under the collar which makes him look like he is wearing the 'dog collar' of a vicar.**

**SHERLOCK:** **Oh, would you ... would you mind if I just waited here, just until they come? Thank you. Thank you so much.  
** **_(Holding a handkerchief to his cheek, he starts to grizzle pathetically. Grinning, Kate buzzes him in. Sherlock comes in, followed by John)_ **

A few people couldn’t help but laugh over the fact that Kate was clearly not buying Sherlock’s act which made it look even weirder.

**SHERLOCK (still in character):** **Thank you.** **_(He briefly looks around the large entrance hall)_ ** **Er, ooh!  
** **JOHN (closing the door):** **I – I saw it all happen. It's okay, I'm a doctor.**

“Where were you?” Kitty questioned. “I mean you couldn’t see you in the camera,” She quickly added at John’s look.

“I was standing off to the side,” John answered shortly.

**_(Kate nods)  
_ ** **JOHN:** **Now, have you got a first aid kit?  
** **KATE:** **In the kitchen.  
** **_(She gestures for Sherlock to go into the front room)  
_ ** **KATE:** **Please.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Oh! Thank you!  
** **JOHN:** **Thank you.  
** **_(He follows Kate towards the kitchen)_ **


	18. A Scandal in Belgravia (01x02 part 2/4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere
> 
> Merry Christmas and a Happy Boxing Day  
> I hope you all like my present to all of you, of updating early

\--3rd P.O.V.--

**_ IRENE’S HOUSE - DAY  
_ ** **Very shortly afterwards Sherlock has taken off his coat and is sitting on a sofa in the elegant sitting room and looking around. Hearing footsteps approaching, he sits up a little and holds his handkerchief to his cheek.**

** IRENE (offscreen): ** **Hello. Sorry to hear that you've been hurt. I don't think Kate caught your name.  
** ** SHERLOCK (in his posh tremulous voice): ** **I'm so sorry. I'm ...**

**He turns and looks at Irene as she walks into view and stops at the doorway. His voice fails him when he realises that, with the exception of high-heeled shoes, she is stark naked. His jaw drops a little.**

“Um,” Anderson muttered as everyone stared at the screen in shock. Surprised that Irene was completely naked.

** IRENE: ** **Oh, it's always hard to remember an alias when you've had a fright, isn't it?**

**She walks into the room and stands directly in front of him, straddling his legs and half-kneeling on the sofa, then reaches forward and pulls the white dog collar from his shirt collar.**

“So that’s what was around his neck,” Donovan muttered to herself, only having glimpsed it.

** IRENE: ** **There now – we're** **_both_ ** **defrocked ...  
** **_(She smiles down at him)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **... Mr Sherlock Holmes.  
** ** SHERLOCK (in his normal voice): ** **Miss Adler, I presume.  
** ** IRENE (gazing down at his face): ** **Look at those cheekbones. I could cut myself slapping that face. Would you like me to try?**

**Narrowing her eyes, she lifts the dog collar to her mouth and bites down onto the edge of it. As Sherlock stares up at her in confusion, John walks into the room carrying a bowl of water and a fabric napkin. His eyes are lowered to the bowl to avoid spilling its contents.**

** JOHN: ** **Right, this should do it.**

**He stops dead in the doorway as he lifts his eyes and sees the scene in front of him. Irene looks round to him, the dog collar still in her teeth. John looks at her awkwardly, then down at the bowl before looking up again.**

“That must have been so awkward,” Molly winces and John hums, flushing slightly.

** JOHN: ** **I've missed something, haven't I?**

“The sad thing is, you haven’t,” Lestrade pips up with a sigh, wondering where this is going.

**_(Irene takes the collar from her teeth)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Please, sit down.  
** **_(She steps back from Sherlock, who fidgets uncomfortably on the sofa as she walks away)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Oh, if you'd like some tea I can call the maid.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I had some at the Palace.  
** ** IRENE: ** **I know.  
** **_(She sits down in a nearby armchair and crosses her legs, folding her arms gracefully to_ ** **_obscure the view of her chest)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Clearly.  
** **_(They stare silently at each other for several seconds, weighing each other up. John looks at them awkwardly)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **I had a tea, too, at the Palace, if anyone's interested.**

They all laughed at John’s offhand comment.

**Sherlock's eyes are still fixed on Irene while he attempts to make as many deductions about her as he can. His final analysis is as follows:**

**_???????_ **

“How can he get nothing from her?” Anderson questioned in shock, his eyes widening. He had never heard of Sherlock not getting a deduction.

“She’s good for a reason,” Mycroft admitted, sounding like the confession pained him a bit.

**Bewildered, he turns and looks at John and starts to analyse him:**

**_Looking at his neckline: Two Day Shirt  
_ ** **_Looking at his lower face: Electric not blade  
_ ** **_Looking at the bottom of his jeans and his shoes: Date tonight_ **

**John frowns as Sherlock continues to gaze at him.**

**_Looking at John's right eyebrow: Hasn't phoned sister  
_ ** **_Looking at John's lower lip: New toothbrush  
_ ** **_Looking just underneath his eyes: Night out with Stamford_ **

A few people laugh at the deductions Sherlock made about John, while the other’s laugh at the resigned annoyance on John’s face.

**Relieved that he hasn't had a brain embolism, he slowly turns his head and looks at Irene again. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he applies all his deductive reasoning as she smiles confidently back at him, and he quickly comes to the following conclusion:**

**_???????_ **

**He frowns.**

** IRENE: ** **D'you know the big problem with a disguise, Mr Holmes?  
** **_(He quirks an eyebrow at her)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **However hard you try, it's always a self-portrait.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **You think I'm a vicar with a bleeding face?  
** ** IRENE: ** **No, I think you're damaged, delusional and believe in a higher power. In your case, it's yourself.**

“Wow, she’s actually pretty close,” Kitty commented snidely, much to everyone’s hatred.

**_(Apparently fed up with the tightness of his shirt, Sherlock starts unbuttoning the top two buttons. Irene leans forward)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Oh, and** **_somebody_ ** **loves you. Why, if** **_I_ ** **had to punch that face, I'd avoid your nose and teeth too.**

A few people chuckle at the indirect mention of John and Sherlock being together, much to John’s annoyance.

**_(She glances across to John momentarily. John forces a laugh)_ ** ****

Those who had just finished laughing, start up again at John’s uncomfortable look.

** JOHN: ** **Could you put something on, please? Er, anything at all.** **_(He looks down at what he's holding)_ ** **A napkin.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Why? Are you feeling exposed?  
** **SHERLOCK** **(standing up)** **:** **I don't think John knows where to look.**

**He picks up his coat, shakes it out and holds it out towards Irene. Ignoring him for the moment, she stands up and walks closer to John, who rolls his head on his neck uncomfortably and forces himself to maintain eye contact with her and not to let his eyes wander lower.**

** IRENE: ** **No, I think he knows** **_exactly_ ** **where.  
** **_(She turns to Sherlock who is still holding out the coat while steadfastly keeping his gaze averted)  
_ ** ** IRENE (taking the coat from him): ** **I'm not sure about** **_you_ ** **.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **If I wanted to look at naked women I'd borrow John's laptop.  
** ** JOHN: ** **You** **_do_ ** **borrow my laptop.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I confiscate it.**

“That’s one way to call it,” Lestrade laughs, shaking his head in amusement.

**_(He walks over to the fireplace opposite the sofa)  
_ ** ** IRENE  ** **(putting on the coat and wrapping it around her)** **:** **Well, never mind. We've got better things to talk about. Now tell me – I need to know.  
** **_(She walks over to the sofa and sits down)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **How was it done?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **What?  
** **IRENE** **(taking off her shoes)** **:** **The hiker with the bashed-in head. How was he killed?**

"How does she know that?” Molly questioned with a frown.

“She did have people following us, she probably found out through them,” John explained, and Molly nodded, still a little freaked out for them.

**_(The boys look confused)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **That's not why I'm here.  
** ** IRENE: ** **No, no, no, you're here for the photographs but that's never gonna happen, and since we're here just chatting anyway ...  
** ** JOHN: ** **That story's not been on the news yet. How do you know about it?  
** ** IRENE: ** **I know one of the policemen. Well, I know what he** **_likes_ ** **.  
** ** JOHN: ** **Oh.** **_(He sits down beside her)_ ** **And you like policemen?  
** ** IRENE: ** **I like detective stories –** **_and_ ** **detectives. Brainy's the new sexy.  
** **SHERLOCK** **(incoherently)** **:** **Positionofthecar ...**

“You, if I didn’t know any better, I would say that Sherlock is flustered,” Donovan spoke quietly, her eyes wide.

**_(John and Irene stare at him while he quickly pulls himself together)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (starting to pace slowly): ** **Er, the position of the car relative to the hiker at the time of the backfire. That and the fact that the death blow was to the back of the head. That's all you need to know.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Okay, tell me: how was he murdered?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **He wasn't.  
** ** IRENE: ** **You don't think it was murder?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I** **_know_ ** **it wasn't.  
** ** IRENE: ** **How?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **The same way that I know the victim was an excellent sportsman recently returned from foreign travel and that the photographs I'm looking for are in this room.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Okay, but how?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **So they** **_are_ ** **in this room. Thank you. John, man the door. Let no-one in.**

“Were they actually in the room?” Mrs Hudson questions curiously, figuring that if it was that easy then they wouldn’t be watching it.

“They were,” John confirmed quietly.

**The two of them exchange a significant look, then John gets up and puts the bowl and napkin on a table before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. In the hallway he looks around, then picks up a magazine from a nearby table and rolls it up. Back in the sitting room, Irene sits up straighter, looking suspiciously at the closed door.**

** SHERLOCK (starting to pace again): ** **Two men alone in the countryside several yards apart, and one car.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Oh. I – I thought you were looking for the photos now.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **No, no. Looking takes ages. I'm just going to find them but you're moderately clever and we've got a moment, so let's pass the time.  
** **_(He stops and turns to her)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Two men, a car, and nobody else.  
** **_(He squats down and suddenly it's as if he is at the crime scene, squatting down next to the driver's door of Phil's car)_ **

“What just happened?” Kitty questioned in shock.

“No clue, but I think it’s like the words,” Donovan replied. “You know, so it’s easier to follow what they’re saying,”

**_(Inside, frozen in time, Phil's face is screwed up with rage while his hands are raised, about to slam down angrily onto the steering wheel)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **The driver's trying to fix his engine. Getting nowhere.  
** **_(Straightening up, he turns and looks into the field)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **And the hiker's taking a moment, looking at the sky.  
** **_(Now he's down in the field, walking around the hiker who is also frozen in time)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Watching the birds?  
** **_(He looks doubtful.)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Any moment now, something's gonna happen. What?  
** **_(Nearby, Irene is sitting on her sofa which has mysteriously appeared in the field near the hiker)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **The hiker's going to die.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **No, that's the result. What's going to** **_happen_ ** **?  
** ** IRENE: ** **I don't understand.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Oh, well, try to.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Why?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Because you cater to the whims of the pathetic and take your clothes off to make an impression. Stop boring me and think.** **_(Sarcastically)_ ** **It's the new sexy.**

John grins at the sight of Sherlock getting annoyed at Irene. Glad that he wasn’t always infatuated with the woman.

** IRENE: ** **The car's going to backfire.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **There's going to be a loud noise.  
** ** IRENE: ** **So, what?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Oh, noises are important. Noises can tell you everything. For instance ...**

**Back in the sitting room – which they obviously never really left – he pauses dramatically and a moment later a smoke alarm starts to beep insistently from the hall. Out in the hall, John had set light to the end of the rolled-up magazine, blown it mostly out again and allowed the smoke to drift upwards.**

“That’s actually a good trick,” Lestrade complimented. “Especially with how insync you two are,” He couldn’t help but add, grinning as John huffs in annoyance.

**Now he waves his hand over the magazine and blows on it to try to put it out completely. In the sitting room, Irene turns and looks at the large mirror over the fireplace. Sherlock turns his head and follows her gaze.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **Thank you. On hearing a smoke alarm, a mother would look towards her child. Amazing how fire exposes our priorities.**

**He walks over to the fireplace and begins running his fingers underneath the mantelpiece. Finding a switch under there, he presses it and the mirror slides upwards, revealing a small wall safe behind it. Sherlock turns and looks at Irene as she stands up.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **_Really_ ** **hope you don't have a baby in here.**

“Yeah, that would be bad,” Anderson laughed, while the other all chuckled at the thought.

**_(He calls out)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **All right, John, you can turn it off now.  
** **_(In the hall, John is still trying to put out the smouldering magazine)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (loudly): ** **I said you can turn it off now.  
** ** JOHN: ** **Give me a minute.**

**He starts thwacking the end of the magazine on the table, grimacing when sparks fly up from the paper, but then looks round as three men run down the stairs.**

Mrs Hudson and Molly both gasped at the sight of three men with guns, their eyes flickering worriedly over to John. While the others tensed, frowning at the men.

**The first one raises an enormous pistol – the silencer of which is so long that he must be compensating for some other shortcoming – and fires it up at the smoke alarm, shattering it. The beeping stops. One of the other men hurries towards John, aiming his pistol at him and John instantly raises his hands, looking at the first man as he walks over and stops in front of him.**

** JOHN: ** **Thank you.**

A few people chuckle at John’s muttered thank you, including John, who shakes his head at his past self.

**_(In the sitting room Sherlock is looking closely at the number pad on the front of the safe)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Hmm. Should always use gloves with these things, you know. Heaviest oil deposits always on the first key used – that's quite clearly the three – but after that the sequence is almost impossible to read. I'd say from the make that it's a six digit code. Can't be your birthday – no disrespect but clearly you were born in the eighties; the eight's barely used, so ...  
** ** IRENE: ** **I'd tell you the code right now but you know what? I already have.**

“What does she mean?” Molly questioned curiously, a little, or a big edge filling her voice. No one answered, as only one person in the room knew with certainty what she meant, and John didn’t feel like talking.

**_(Sherlock frowns at her)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **_Think.  
_ ** **_(The door bursts open and the leader of the group, Neilson, comes in and aims his pistol at Sherlock)  
_ ** ** NEILSON: ** **Hands behind your head.** **_(To Irene)_ ** **On the floor. Keep it still.  
** **_(A second man goes over to Irene and walks her nearer to John who is being bundled in by a third man)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Sorry, Sherlock.  
** **_(As Sherlock raises his hands, Neilson looks round at Irene)  
_ ** ** NEILSON: ** **Ms Adler, on the floor.**

**His colleague shoves her to her knees beside John who has also been pushed to his knees and is doubled over with his hands behind his head and a pistol pointed to the back of his neck.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **Don't you want me on the floor too?  
** ** NEILSON: ** **No, sir, I want you to open the safe.  
** ** SHERLOCK (clocking his accent): ** **American. Interesting. Why would** **_you_ ** **care?  
** **_(He glances across at Irene as she puts her hands behind her head.)  
_ ** ** NEILSON: ** **Sir, the safe,** **_now_ ** **, please.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I don't know the code.  
** ** NEILSON: ** **We've been listening. She said she told you.**

“I really hope he can open that safe,” Anderson muttered to himself, hoping that Sherlock had picked up on something that the screen or whatever didn’t.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Well, if you'd been listening, you'd know she** **_didn't_ ** **.  
** ** NEILSON: ** **I'm assuming I missed something. From your reputation, I'm assuming you** **_didn't_ ** **, Mr Holmes.  
** ** JOHN: ** **For God's sake.** **_She's_ ** **the one who knows the code. Ask her.  
** ** NEILSON: ** **Yes, sir. She also knows the code that automatically calls the police and sets off the burglar alarm. I've learned not to trust this woman.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Mr Holmes doesn't ...  
** ** NEILSON: ** **Shut up. One more word out of you – just one – and I will decorate that wall with the insides of your head. That, for me, will not be a hardship.  
** **_(Sherlock glares at him ferociously)  
_ ** ** NEILSON: ** **Mr Archer. At the count of three, shoot Doctor Watson.**

“Hey!” Mrs Hudson shouted, as everyone, well everyone but Moriarty, glared at the screen. With Mycroft and Kitty’s being a little more subtle, but they still glared.

** JOHN: ** **What?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I don't have the code.  
** **_(John cowers down as Archer presses the muzzle of his pistol into the back of his neck and cocks the gun)  
_ ** ** NEILSON: ** **One.  
** ** SHERLOCK (emphatically): ** **I don't know the code.  
** ** NEILSON: ** **Two.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **She didn't tell me.** **_(Raising his voice)_ ** **I don't know it!  
** ** NEILSON: ** **I'm prepared to believe you any second now.  
** **_(Sherlock looks across to Irene who lowers her gaze pointedly downwards)  
_ ** ** NEILSON: ** **Three.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **No, stop!**

**Neilson holds up his free hand to stop Archer. John closes his eyes. Sherlock's gaze becomes distant while his mind works frantically, then he slowly turns towards the safe and lowers his hands. As Neilson watches him closely, he slowly reaches out a finger towards the keypad and punches the '3' and then the '2'. Hesitating for a moment, he then punches '2' and '4'. Pausing again, he hits '3' and '4'. The safe beeps and noisily unlocks. Irene smiles in satisfaction as Sherlock sighs and closes his eyes briefly. John sags lower on his knees and shuts his own eyes again.**

“What was it?” Kitty questioned curiously, looking over at John. John glances over at her before shrugging. After all if he didn’t say anything when Molly asked, he certainly wasn’t going to do it when Kitty does.

** NEILSON: ** **Thank you, Mr Holmes. Open it, please.**

**Twisting the button that will open the door, Sherlock looks across to Irene again who lowers her gaze to the floor and makes a tiny jerk with her head. He turns back to the safe.**

**SHERLOCK** **(urgently)** **:** **Vatican cameos.**

“What does that mean?” Molly questioned curiously.

“It means duck out of the line of fire, it was used in the second World War,” John explains quietly.

**Instantly John throws himself to the floor. At the same moment Sherlock pulls open the door of the safe while ducking down below the fireplace. Inside the safe, a tripwire attached to the door tugs on the trigger of a pistol with an equally long and over-compensatory silencer which is aimed straight out of the safe. The gun fires and Archer – who happened to be standing directly in front of it – is shot in the chest. Rapidly turning and straightening up, Sherlock grabs for Neilson's pistol and Irene spins around on her knees and savagely elbows her guard in the groin. Pulling the pistol from Neilson's grip, Sherlock holds the silencer end and smashes the butt across his face and Neilson drops to the floor unconscious. As Irene's guard crumples under her blow, she grapples for his pistol and is on her feet and aiming it down at him while he's still falling. Sherlock turns to her.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **D'you mind?  
** ** IRENE: ** **Not at all.**

**As her guard tries to get up, she slams the gun across his face and knocks him unconscious. While she's distracted, Sherlock reaches into the safe and takes something out of it. Nearby, John has checked Archer over and now stands up.**

** JOHN: ** **He's dead.  
** ** IRENE (to Sherlock, continuing to aim her pistol down at her guard): ** **Thank you. You were very observant.  
** ** JOHN: ** **Observant?  
** ** IRENE: ** **I'm flattered.**

“What?” Donovan questioned curiously, her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. While John and Molly both glare at her.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Don't be.  
** ** JOHN: ** **Flattered?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **There'll be more of them. They'll be keeping a eye on the building.**

**Still holding Neilson's pistol but having removed the silencer, he hurries out of the room. John tucks Archer's gun into the back of his jeans and follows him. Irene goes over to the safe and stares into it wide-eyed. Sherlock trots out onto the street with John behind him.**

** JOHN: ** **We should call the police.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Yes.  
** **_(Pointing the pistol into the air, he fires it five times. Nearby, tyres screech)_ **

The Yarders all sigh at Sherlock’s actions, shaking their heads but not even a bit surprised at him.

** SHERLOCK: ** **On their way.  
** **_(He turns and trots back into the house)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **For God's sake!  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Oh shut up. It's quick.  
** **_(He goes back into the sitting room. Irene turns around from the safe to face him)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (to John): ** **Check the rest of the house. See how they got in.**

**John heads off and Sherlock takes the item which he just stole from the safe out of his pocket and flips it nonchalantly into the air before catching it again.**

“The photos are one the phone aren’t they?” Lestrade asks after he realises what Sherlock is throwing up and down. John hums in confirmation.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Well, that's the knighthood in the bag.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Ah. And that's mine.**

**She holds out her hand. Ignoring her, Sherlock switches on the security lock on the phone he's holding. It requires four letters or numbers to activate it and it has "I AM" above the four spaces and "LOCKED" below them.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **All the photographs are on here, I presume.  
** ** IRENE: ** **I have copies, of course.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **No you don't. You'll have permanently disabled any kind of uplink or connection. Unless the contents of this phone are provably unique, you wouldn't be able to sell them.  
** ** IRENE (lowering her hand): ** **Who said I'm selling?  
** ** SHERLOCK (looking at the dead and unconscious bodies lying on the floor): ** **Well, why would** **_they_ ** **be interested? Whatever's on the phone, it's clearly not just photographs.  
** ** IRENE: ** **That camera phone is my life, Mr Holmes. I'd die before I let you take it.** **_(She walks closer and holds her hand out again)_ ** **It's my protection.  
** ** JOHN (calling out): ** **Sherlock!  
** ** SHERLOCK (pulling the phone back and looking at Irene pointedly): ** **It** **_was.  
_ ** **_(He turns and leaves the room. She chases after him. Upstairs in the bedroom, John is kneeling over the silent figure of Kate lying on the floor)_ **

Mrs Hudson sighs sadly at seeing Kate lying limp, having a feeling that there would be little chance that those Americans had left her alive.

**Putting his ear to her mouth to check her breathing, he straightens up and takes her pulse. Standing up, he goes into the en suite bathroom and looks at the open window in there. Sherlock, followed by Irene, comes into the bedroom as John comes out of the bathroom.**

** JOHN: ** **Must have come in this way.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Clearly.  
** **_(He goes into the bathroom to look out of the window. Irene walks anxiously towards Kate)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **It's all right. She's just out cold.**

A few people sigh in relief, especially Mrs Hudson and those who had had the same train of thought as her.

** IRENE: ** **Well, God knows she's used to that. There's a back door. Better check it, Doctor Watson.  
** **_(Sherlock has come out of the bathroom and nods to him)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Sure.**

**He leaves the room. Irene goes over to the dressing table, opens a drawer and covertly takes a syringe out of it. Sherlock is looking at the camera phone and doesn't notice.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **You're very calm.  
** **_(She looks round at him blankly)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Well, your booby trap did just kill a man.  
** ** IRENE: ** **He would have killed me. It was self defence in advance.**

**Walking across to Sherlock, she strokes her hand down his left arm. As he looks down at her hand she steps around behind him and stabs the syringe into his right arm before pulling it out again. He gasps and spins around, trying to grab at his arm.**

Everyone frowns as Irene tranquilers Sherlock, while John sighs guilty, wishing he hadn't left Sherlock alone with her.

** SHERLOCK: ** **What? What is that? What ...?  
** **_(As his face turns towards her again, she slaps him hard. He stumbles and falls to the floor. She holds out her hand to him)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Give it to me. Now. Give it to me.  
** **_(Sherlock's vision is going fuzzy. Grunting, he tries to get back to his feet)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **No.  
** ** IRENE: ** **_Give_ ** **it to me.  
** **_(Starting to lose control of his muscles, Sherlock slumps to his hands and knees, still holding onto the phone)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **No.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Oh, for goodness' sake.  
** **_(She picks up her riding crop from the dressing table and wields it at him)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Drop it.  
** **_(Sherlock continues trying to struggle to his feet)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **I ...** **_(she thrashes him)_ ** **... said ...** **_(she thrashes him again)_ ** **... drop it.**

A few people flinch as Irene thrashes Sherlock, feeling sorry for the high functioning sociopath.

**_(She strikes him a third time and he falls to the floor, unintentionally dropping the phone)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Ah. Thank you, dear.  
** **_(As he lies on his back unable to move, she picks up the phone and types on it, standing over Sherlock and looking down at him smugly)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Now tell that sweet little posh thing the pictures are safe with me. They're not for blackmail, just for insurance.  
** **_(She puts the phone into the pocket of Sherlock's coat which she's still wearing)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Besides, I might want to see her again.  
** **_(Grunting, Sherlock tries to get up. Irene presses him back down to the floor with one foot and the end of her crop)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's been a pleasure. Don't spoil it.  
** **_(She gently strokes the end of the crop against his face)_ **

Everyone’s frowns, turn into glares as Irene strokes Sherlock’s face like some sick reward.

** IRENE: ** **This is how I want you to remember me. The woman who beat you.  
** **_(Sherlock's vision becomes more fuzzy)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Goodnight, Mr Sherlock Holmes.  
** **_(She heads for the bathroom just as John walks back into the bedroom)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Jesus. What are you doing?  
** ** IRENE: ** **He'll sleep for a few hours. Make sure he doesn't choke on his own vomit. It makes for a very unattractive corpse.  
** **_(She sits on the windowsill in the bathroom, puts her feet up on the edge of the bath and takes hold of a cord hanging from the ledge)  
_ ** ** JOHN (picking up the syringe lying on the floor): ** **What's this? What have you given him? Sherlock!  
** ** IRENE: ** **He'll be fine. I've used it on loads of my friends.  
** ** JOHN (kneeling and looking down at his flatmate): ** **Sherlock, can you hear me?**

“You need to go after Irene and get the phone,” Lestrade whispers quietly to himself.

“I had more important things to worry about, like Sherlock dazed on the floor,” John defended himself.

** IRENE: ** **You know, I was wrong about him. He** **_did_ ** **know where to look.  
** ** JOHN (standing up again and turning to her): ** **For what? What are you talking about?  
** ** IRENE: ** **The key code to my safe.  
** ** JOHN: ** **What was it?  
** **_(She looks down to Sherlock who is gazing at her barely conscious but still trying in vain to get up)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Shall I tell him?  
** **_(John looks down at him for a moment then turns back to Irene just as sirens announce the arrival of the police. Irene smiles at him)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **My measurements.**

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Anderson muttered in shock, but wasn’t all that surprised that Sherlock had managed to figure that out.

**And with that she pushes her feet against the edge of the bath and topples backwards out of the window, still holding what looked like a cord but is apparently more like a thin rope. John hurries over to the window and looks out while Sherlock still tries vainly to lift himself up but continues to fall back helplessly.**

**As he lapses into unconsciousness, he finds himself – inside his own mind anyway – back at the crime scene in the country and sitting in the driver's seat of Phil's car. Irene is standing outside clinging onto the ledge of the rolled-down window and looking in at him urgently.**

A few people gasped surprised again at suddenly seeing them at the crime scene, before figuring it was the same as before.

** IRENE: ** **Got it!  
** **_(Blinking and trying to clear his head, he turns as if to get out of the car but she holds up a finger)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Oh, shush now. Don't get up. I'll do the talking.  
** **_(She goes around to the rear of the car and bends down to look more closely at the exhaust pipe)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **So the car's about to backfire ...**

**She stands up again and suddenly she and Sherlock are standing near the hiker in the field while he stands frozen and staring upwards at a forty-five degree angle.**

“Is this really happening? Or is it just some weird dream?” Molly questioned curiously.

“It’s probably really happening,” John responded, though he wasn’t fully sure.

** IRENE: ** **... and the hiker, he's staring at the sky. Now, you said he could be watching birds but he wasn't, was he?  
** **_(She walks around to the front of the hiker, following his gaze. Sherlock follows her)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **He was watching another kind of flying thing. The car backfires and the hiker turns to look ...**

**The hiker turns his head to look back towards the car and at the same moment an object flies in so rapidly that we can't see what it is. It strikes him on the back of the head, bounces off and skims quickly away. The man falls backwards and for a brief moment Sherlock is back in Irene's bedroom and falls backwards to the floor. Then he's back at the crime scene and he and Irene look down at the hiker lying on the ground.**

** IRENE: ** **... which was his big mistake.  
** **_(She looks towards the road again)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **By the time the driver looks up, the hiker's already dead. What he doesn't see is what killed him because it's already being washed downstream.  
** **_(Floating at the edge of the stream is the most unlikely item you'd ever expect to see – a boomerang)_ **

“Wow, who knew they could be so deadly,” Donovan joked slightly, though it was kind of ruined by the shock in her voice.

** IRENE: ** **An accomplished sportsman recently returned from foreign travel with ... a boomerang. You got that from one look?** **_Definitely_ ** **the new sexy.  
** **_(She turns and smiles at Sherlock)  
_ ** **SHERLOCK** **(vaguely)** **:** **I ...  
** **_(He blinks, looking around in confusion)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I ...**

**Behind him, a bed rises up to meet him. The angle changes and he sinks down onto the bed and a sheet rises up to wrap around him. His eyes close.**

** IRENE (softly): ** **Hush now.  
** **_(She leans down over him. Sherlock's fuzzy view of her shows that she's no longer in the field but inside a room)_ **

A few people glare at Irene as they realise that she had broken into Sherlock's room, and was now in the same room with him still practically asleep.

** IRENE (softly): ** **It's okay. I'm only returning your coat.**

**She leans closer towards him, then fades out. Sherlock jerks back into consciousness and finds himself alone and in bed in his own bedroom, fully clothed and covered with a sheet. He lifts his head.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **John?  
** **_(He shakes his head, trying to clear it)  
_ ** **_SHERLOCK_ (louder) _:_ ** **John!**

**In the living room, John looks round. Sherlock throws back the sheet and kneels up on the bed, then promptly loses his balance, falls forward and rolls over the foot of the bed and onto the floor. John opens the bedroom door and comes in as he sits up.**

A few people can’t help but chuckle at the usually coordinated Sherlock falling off the bed.

** JOHN: ** **You okay?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **How did I get here?  
** ** JOHN: ** **Well, I don't suppose you remember much. You weren't making a lot of sense. Oh, I should warn you: I think Lestrade filmed you on his phone.  
** ** SHERLOCK (getting to his feet): ** **Where is she?  
** ** JOHN: ** **Where's who?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **The woman. That woman.  
** ** JOHN: ** **What woman?  
** ** SHERLOCK (stumbling aimlessly around the room): ** **_The_ ** **woman. The** **_woman_ ** **woman!  
** ** JOHN: ** **What, Irene Adler? She got away. No-one saw her.  
** **_(Sherlock stumbles over to the open window and looks through it)_ **

Again, people chuckle at Sherlock being drugged.

** JOHN: ** **She wasn't here, Sherlock.**

**Turning around, Sherlock either falls down again or deliberately drops to the floor – it's not clear which. While he's down there he drags himself across the floor and peers under the bed as if looking to see whether Irene is hiding under there, then he squints around as if checking that she's not hidden under or behind the wardrobe.**

** JOHN: ** **What are you ...? What ...? No, no, no, no.  
** **_(He hauls Sherlock up and drops him face-down onto the bed)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Back to bed.** **_(He covers him over with the sheet)_ ** **You'll be fine in the morning. Just sleep.  
** ** SHERLOCK (blurrily): ** **Of course I'll be fine. I** **_am_ ** **fine. I'm absolutely fine.  
** ** JOHN: ** **Yes, you're great. Now I'll be next door if you need me.  
** ** SHERLOCK (fuzzily): ** **Why would I need you?  
** ** JOHN: ** **No reason at all.**

**He walks out of the room shutting the door behind him. Sherlock's coat is hanging on the back of the door. A few moments later his pocket lights up as his phone activates and an orgasmic female sigh comes from the speaker.**

“What’s that noise?” Anderson questioned in shock, his eyes wide. Donovan and Kitty both frown in confusion as well as him. While those who know what it was don’t answer.

**Sherlock opens his eyes and sits up, looking blearily across to his coat. Frowning at it as if realising that it can only have been returned by Irene, he gets out of bed and wobbles across the floor towards it, losing his balance a couple of times en route but managing to stay on his feet. Finally he gets to the door and takes the phone out of his pocket. Bracing himself against the wall he activates the phone. A new text message reads:**

**_Till the next time, Mr. Holmes_ **

**Sherlock peers at it for a long moment and then looks around suspiciously, totally oblivious to the fact that the most suspicious thing in the room is the red kiss-shaped lipstick mark just to the left of his mouth.**

“Is that lipstick on his cheek?” Molly questioned, jealousy in her voice. A few people frown at that, John and Molly especially.

**_ 221B BAKER STREET - NEXT MORNING  
_ ** **Sherlock – now fully recovered – and John are sitting at the table in the living room. John is eating breakfast while Sherlock is reading a newspaper. Mycroft stands nearby.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **The photographs are perfectly safe.  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **In the hands of a fugitive sex worker.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **She's not interested in blackmail. She wants ... protection for some reason. I take it you've stood down the police investigation into the shooting at her house?**

"I can’t believe he gave up that case,” Kitty commented in shock, her eyes wide.

** MYCROFT: ** **How can we do anything while she has the photographs? Our hands are tied.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **She'd applaud your choice of words.  
** **_(John smirks)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **You see how this works: that camera phone is her "Get out of jail free" card. You have to leave her alone. Treat her like royalty, Mycroft.  
** ** JOHN: ** **Though not the way** **_she_ ** **treats royalty.**

A few people snort at that, fully agreeing with John.

**He smiles sarcastically at Mycroft, who returns the smile humorlessly. Just then the sound of an orgasmic female sigh fills the room. John and Mycroft frown.**

Chuckles fill the room at the two’s confused looks.

** JOHN: ** **What was that?  
** ** SHERLOCK (trying to look nonchalant): ** **Text.  
** ** JOHN: ** **But what was that noise?**

**Sherlock gets up and goes over to pick up his phone from nearby. He looks at the message which reads:**

**_Good morning, Mr. Holmes_ **

** SHERLOCK: ** **Did you know there were other people after her too, Mycroft, before you sent John and I in there? CIA-trained killers, at an excellent guess.  
** **_(He goes back to the table and sits down again as John looks round at Mycroft)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Yeah,** **_thanks_ ** **for that, Mycroft.  
** **_(Mrs Hudson brings in a plate of breakfast from the kitchen and puts it down in front of Sherlock)  
_ ** ** MRS HUDSON (sternly): ** **It's a disgrace, sending your little brother into danger like that. Family is all we have in the end, Mycroft Holmes.**

A few people smile at Mrs Hudson tearing into Mycroft, figuring that Mycroft deserved it. While Mycroft sighed.

** MYCROFT: ** **Oh, shut up, Mrs Hudson.**

“Hey!” Molly and John snapped in annoyance. The Yarders all glared at Mycroft, who at least had the common decency to look ashamed at his previous actions.

** SHERLOCK (furiously): ** **MYCROFT!  
** ** JOHN (simultaneously and equally furiously): ** **OI!  
** **_(Mycroft looks at the three angry faces glaring at him, then cringes and looks contritely at Mrs Hudson)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **Apologies.  
** ** MRS HUDSON: ** **Thank you.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Though do, in fact, shut up.  
**

The originals snorted in amusement, while Kitty frowned in confusion. Wondering what was so different about Sherlock telling Mrs Hudson to shut up than Mycroft.

**_(His phone sighs orgasmically again. Mrs Hudson, who was going back into the kitchen, turns around)_ ** ****

“Why is no one questioning Sherlock’s text alert?” Kitty questioned curiously.

“We will, but we’ve all gotten used to not question all the weird things that happen around Sherlock,” John finally answered her.

** MRS HUDSON: ** **Ooh. It's a bit rude, that noise, isn't it?**

**Sherlock looks at the latest message which reads:**

**_Feeling better?_ ** ****

** SHERLOCK: ** **There's nothing you can do and nothing she** **_will_ ** **do as far as I can see.  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **I can put maximum surveillance on her.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Why bother? You can follow her on Twitter. I believe her username is "TheWhipHand."  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **Yes. Most amusing.  
** **_(His phone rings and he takes it from his pocket)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **'Scuse me.  
** **_(He walks out into the hall)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT (into phone): ** **Hello.  
** **_(Sherlock watches him leave, frowning suspiciously. John looks at him)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Why does your phone make that noise?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **What noise?**

“Playing dumb doesn’t really suit Sherlock,” Anderson couldn’t help but comment. Donovan chuckled in agreement.

** JOHN: ** **_That_ ** **noise – the one it just made.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **It's a text alert. It means I've got a text  
** ** JOHN: ** **Hmm. Your texts don't usually make that noise.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Well, somebody got hold of the phone and apparently, as a joke, personalised their text alert noise.  
** ** JOHN: ** **Hmm. So every time they text you ...  
** **_(Right on cue, the phone sighs orgasmically again)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **It would seem so.  
** ** MRS HUDSON: ** **Could you turn that phone down a bit? At my time of life, it's ...**

**The latest text message reads:**

**_I'm fine since you didn't ask_ **

**Sherlock puts down the phone again and goes back to reading the paper which is showing the headline "Refit for Historical Hospital."**

** JOHN: ** **I'm wondering who could have got hold of your phone, because it would have been in your coat, wouldn't it?  
** **_(Sherlock raises his newspaper so that it's obscuring his face)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I'll leave you to your deductions.  
** **_(John smiles)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **I'm not stupid, you know.**

“Of course you’re not John,” Mrs Hudson reassured John, who grinned back at the old woman.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Where** **_do_ ** **you get that idea?  
** **_(Mycroft comes back into the room, still talking on his phone)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT (Into phone): ** **Bond Air is go, that's decided. Check with the Coventry lot. Talk later.**

“What are you talking about?” Molly questioned curiously.

“Nothing of importance,” Mycroft dismissed with a quick glance over at Moriarty.

**_(He hangs up. Sherlock looks at him)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **What else does she have?  
** **_(Mycroft looks at him inquiringly)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Irene Adler. The Americans wouldn't be interested in her for a couple of compromising photographs. There's more.  
** **_(He stands up and faces his brother)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **_Much_ ** **more.  
** **_(Mycroft looks at him stony-faced. Sherlock walks closer to him)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Something big's coming, isn't it?  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **Irene Adler is no longer any concern of yours. From now on you will stay out of this.**

“I can’t believe you would ever actually think that would ever actually work,” Lestrade commented, Sherlock never did what he was told.

**SHERLOCK** **(locking eyes with him)** **:** **Oh,** **_will_ ** **I?  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **Yes, Sherlock, you** **_will.  
_ ** **_(Sherlock shrugs and turns away)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a long and arduous apology to make to a very old friend.  
** **SHERLOCK** **(picking up his violin)** **:** **Do give her my love.**

**He begins to play the National Anthem, "God Save The Queen." Mycroft rolls his eyes, turns and leaves the room, Sherlock following along behind him while John grins. As Mycroft hurries down the stairs, Sherlock turns back and walks over to the window, still playing.**

“I sometimes forgot how good Sherlock could actually play the violin,” John couldn’t help but comment.

“Didn’t you live with him?” Kitty questioned in shock.

“Yeah, but half the time, it seemed like he purposely played off key to annoy one person or another,”

**_ 221B BAKER STREET - NIGHT  
_ ** **Time passes and now it's Christmas. Fairy lights are strung up around the window frame of the flat and it's snowing outside. Inside, the living room is festooned with Christmas decorations and cards, and Sherlock is walking around playing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" on his violin. Mrs Hudson is sitting in his chair with a glass in her hand, watching him happily. Lestrade is standing at the entrance to the kitchen holding a wine glass, and John – wearing a very snazzy Christmassy jumper – walks across the room with a cup and saucer in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other. As Sherlock finishes the tune with a fancy flourish, Lestrade whistles in appreciation.**

** MRS HUDSON: ** **Lovely! Sherlock, that was lovely!  
** ** JOHN: ** **Marvellous!  
** **_(Sherlock sketches a small bow to his audience. Mrs Hudson, apparently a little bit squiffy, giggles up at him)  
_ ** ** MRS HUDSON: ** **I wish you could have worn the antlers!**

“That would be hilarious,” Anderson laughed, along with almost everyone in the room.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Some things are best left to the imagination, Mrs Hudson.  
** **JOHN** **(handing her a cup of tea, perhaps in an attempt to sober her up)** **:** **Mrs H.  
** **_(A dark-haired woman in her thirties brings over a tray containing mince pies and slices of cake and offers it to Sherlock)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (politely): ** **No thank you, Sarah.  
** **_(Her face falls. John hurries over to her and puts his arm around her as she turns away)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Uh, no, no, no, no, no. He's not good with names.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **No-no-no, I can get this.  
** **_(The woman puts down the tray and straightens up, folding her arms and looking at Sherlock rather grimly)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **No, Sarah was the doctor; and then there was the one with the spots; and then the one with the nose; and then ... who was after the boring teacher?**

“How many girlfriends have you had?” Donovan questioned curiously, after all, they’ve only seen Sara on this.

“A lot, apparently,” Lestrade teases.

** JEANETTE: ** **Nobody.**

A few people cringe at Sherlock accidentally insulting Jeanette, feeling sorry for the poor girl.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Jeanette!** **_(He grins falsely at her)_ ** **Ah, process of elimination.  
** **_(John awkwardly shepherds Jeanette away. Sherlock looks across to the door as a new arrival comes in)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Oh, dear Lord.**

Molly sighs sadly at Sherlock’s response to her arrival. Wondering why he always seemed to be annoyed with her.

**_(Molly Hooper walks in, smiling shyly and carrying two bags which appear to be full of presents)  
_ ** ** MOLLY: ** **Hello, everyone. Sorry, hello.  
** **_(John walks over to greet her, smiling)  
_ ** ** MOLLY: ** **Er, it said on the door just to come up.  
** **_(Everyone greets her cheerfully. Sherlock rolls his eyes)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Oh, everybody's saying hullo to each other. How wonderful(!)  
** **_(Smiling at him nervously, Molly starts to take her coat and scarf off)  
_ ** ** JOHN (standing ready to take her coat): ** **Let me, er ... holy Mary!  
** **_(Lestrade gawps in similar appreciation as Molly reveals that she's wearing a very attractive black dress)_ **

“Wow,” Donovan whispered in shock before turning to an embarrassed Molly. “Even if the dress is a little overkill, it looks good,” She compliments, helping ease Molly’s embarrassment.

** LESTRADE: ** **Wow!  
** ** MOLLY: ** **Having a Christmas drinkies, then?**

Molly sighs at her past self, wondering why she always tried so hard around Sherlock.

** SHERLOCK (sitting down at the dining table): ** **No stopping them, apparently.  
** ** MRS HUDSON: ** **It's the one day of the year where the boys have to be nice to me, so it's almost worth it!  
** **_(Molly giggles nervously, her eyes still fixed on Sherlock as he starts typing on John's laptop. John brings a chair over for her)_ **

A few people can’t help but feel pity for Molly, and her obvious crush on Sherlock, though they know better than to mention anything about it.

** JOHN: ** **Have a seat.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **John?  
** ** JOHN: ** **Mmm?  
** **_(He goes over to see what Sherlock is looking at. Lestrade touches Molly's arm to get her attention)  
_ ** ** LESTRADE: ** **Molly?** **_(She turns to him)_ ** **Want a drink?  
** **_(As she accepts his offer, John leans over Sherlock's shoulder to look at the screen)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **The counter on your blog: still says one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five.**

“Why would Sherlock care about the counter on your blog?” Anderson questioned curiously, John shrugged in response.

** JOHN (pulling a mock-angry face): ** **Ooh, no! Christmas is cancelled!**

A few people chuckled at John’s joke, though most of them were still curious why Sherlock seemed to care so much about a counter.

**_(Sherlock points to the side bar which has one of the press pictures of him in his deerstalker)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **And you've got a photograph of me wearing that hat!**

Laughter filled the room about Sherlock’s annoyance with the hat that everyone liked on him.

** JOHN: ** **People like the hat.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **No they don't.** **_What_ ** **people?  
** **_(He continues looking at the laptop as John walks away. Molly turns to Mrs Hudson)  
_ ** ** MOLLY: ** **How's the hip?  
** ** MRS HUDSON: ** **Ooh, it's atrocious, but thanks for asking.  
** ** MOLLY: ** **I've seen much worse, but then I do post-mortems.  
** **_(An awkward silence falls. Molly looks embarrassed)  
_ ** ** MOLLY: ** **Oh, God. Sorry.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Don't make jokes, Molly.  
** ** MOLLY: ** **No. Sorry.  
** **_(Lestrade hands her a glass of red wine.)  
_ ** ** MOLLY: ** **Thank you. I wasn't expecting to see you. I thought you were gonna be in Dorset for Christmas.  
** ** LESTRADE: ** **That's first thing in the morning, me and the wife. We're back together. It's all sorted.  
** **_(He grins at her)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (without looking up from the computer): ** **No, she's sleeping with a P.E. teacher.**

Lestrade sighs at Sherlock’s words, remembering that Christmas and hating that Sherlock always had to be right.

**_(Lestrade's smile becomes rather fixed. Molly turns to John who is sitting on the arm of his armchair. Jeanette is sitting in the chair itself)  
_ ** ** MOLLY: ** **And John. I hear you're off to your sister's, is that right?  
** ** JOHN: ** **Yeah.  
** ** MOLLY: ** **Sherlock was complaining.**

"That definitely sounds like Sherlock,” Mrs Hudson teases, “especially when he had to deal without you John,” She couldn’t help but add. John huffs, but knows better than to try and argue with her, which just spurs everyone else on.

**_(Sherlock raises his eyebrows indignantly. Molly corrects herself)  
_ ** ** MOLLY: ** **... saying.**

**Nearby, Lestrade has been running Sherlock's comment through his mind, and his face slowly becomes a picture of exasperation when he seems to realise that it's probably true.**

** JOHN: ** **First time ever, she's cleaned up her act. She's off the booze.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Nope.**

John sighs, Sherlock was of course right, but it had been nice to hope for once.

** JOHN: ** **Shut up, Sherlock.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I see you've got a new boyfriend, Molly, and you're serious about him.  
** ** MOLLY: ** **Sorry, what?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **In fact, you're seeing him this very night and giving him a gift.  
** ** JOHN (quietly, exasperated): ** **Take a day off.  
** ** LESTRADE (taking a glass across to the table and putting it down near Sherlock): ** **Shut up and have a drink.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Oh, come on. Surely you've all seen the present at the top of the bag – perfectly wrapped with a bow. All the others are slapdash at best.  
** **_(He stands up and walks towards Molly, looking at the other presents which aren't so carefully wrapped)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **It's for someone special, then.**

Everyone sighs, feeling sorry for Molly when Sherlock rounds on her, wondering why he could never seem to stop.

**_(He picks up the well-wrapped present, looking at the colour of the paper)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **The shade of red echoes her lipstick – either an unconscious association or one that she's deliberately trying to encourage. Either way, Miss Hooper has lurrrve on her mind. The fact that she's serious about him is clear from the fact she's giving him a gift at all.  
** **_(John looks anxiously at Molly as she squirms in front of Sherlock)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **That would suggest long-term hopes, however forlorn; and that she's seeing him tonight is evident from her make-up and what she's wearing.  
** **_(Smiling smugly across to John and Jeanette, he starts to turn over the gift tag attached to the present)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Obviously trying to compensate for the size of her mouth and breasts ...**

**He trails off as he looks down at the writing on the tag. Written in red ink, the greeting reads:**

**_Dearest Sherlock  
_ ** **_Love Molly xxx_ **

A few people cringed when it was revealed that the present was for Sherlock.

**Sherlock gazes at the words in shock when he realises the terrible thing that he has just done. Molly gasps quietly.**

** MOLLY: ** **You always say such horrible things. Every time. Always.** **_Always.  
_ ** **_(As she fights back tears, Sherlock turns to walk away ... but then stops and turns back to_ ** **_her)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I am sorry. Forgive me.**

Everyone, even the people who were there, blink in shock at Sherlock’s very human response.

**_(John looks up, startled and amazed at such a human reaction from his friend. Sherlock steps closer to Molly)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (softly): ** **Merry Christmas, Molly Hooper.**

**He leans forward and gently kisses her on the cheek. It's a sweet and beautiful moment, which is instantly ruined by the sound of an orgasmic sigh. Molly gasps in shock.**

Laughter fills the room at the inappropriately timed text alert, making everyone on the screen laugh in shock.

** MOLLY: ** **No! That wasn't ... I – I didn't ...  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **No, it was me.**

Anyone who had stopped laughing, started again at Sherlock’s words. Even if they knew what Sherlock meant, they still found it hilarious.

** LESTRADE: ** **My God, really?!  
** ** MOLLY: ** **What?!  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **My** **_phone.  
_ ** **_(He reaches into his jacket pocket to get the phone. John narrows his eyes)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Fifty-seven?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Sorry, what?  
** ** JOHN: ** **Fifty-seven of those texts – the ones I've heard.**

“Why did you count the texts?” Anderson questioned curiously, an almost teasing note to his voice. “Jealous?”

“It was hard not to,” John defended himself.

**_(Sherlock looks at the message which reads simply:  
_ ** **Mantelpiece** **_)  
_ **

** SHERLOCK (walking to the mantelpiece): ** **Thrilling that you've been counting.**

**He picks up a small box wrapped in blood-red paper and tied with black rope-like string. Instantly he flashes back to the colour of Irene's lipstick, which was identical to this paper.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **'Scuse me.  
** **_(He walks toward the kitchen.)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **What – what's up, Sherlock?  
** ** SHERLOCK (continuing walking): ** **I said excuse me.  
** ** JOHN (calling after him): ** **D'you ever reply?  
** **_(Ignoring him, Sherlock walks into his bedroom, sits on the bed and opens the box)_ **

A few people frown at Sherlock leaving to read Irene’s texts, more than one of their frowns was out of jealousy.

**_(Inside is Irene's camera phone. He takes it out of the box and looks at it closely, then gazes off into the distance thoughtfully)_ **

The Yarders, and Mycrfot both blink in shock at seeing Irene’s most prize procession in Sherlock’s hand.

**_ MYCROFT'S OFFICE - NIGHT  
_ ** **In his own house – or possibly in an official government residence or even just a fancy office – Mycroft is sitting in an armchair by the fireside. His phone rings and he takes it from his jacket, looks at the Caller ID and then, with a look of "Good grief!" on his face, he puts the phone to his ear.**

** MYCROFT (Into phone): ** **Oh dear Lord. We're not going to have Christmas phone calls now, are we? Have they passed a new law?  
** ** SHERLOCK (Over phone): ** **I think you're going to find Irene Adler tonight.**

“Mycroft,” Mrs Hudson chided, “you shouldn’t be annoyed at your little brother calling for christmas,” ****

**_ SHERLOCK’S BEDROOM - NIGHT  
_ ** **John has come to the door of the bedroom and stands there listening to the conversation.**

** MYCROFT (Over phone): ** **We already know where she is. As you were kind enough to point out, it hardly matters.  
** ** SHERLOCK (Into phone): ** **No, I mean you're going to find her dead.**

A few people blink in shock, but most, like the Yarders weren’t all that surprised at Sherlock’s announcement.

**_(Hanging up the phone, he stands up and walks towards the bedroom door)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **You okay?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Yes.  
** **_(He pushes the door closed, shutting John out. At his place, Mycroft stands at the window and gazes out at the falling snow)_ **

**_ ST BARTHOLOMEW'S HOSPITAL - NIGHT  
_ ** **Sherlock and Mycroft walk along a corridor to the morgue and go through the door. Molly is waiting inside. She has changed into trousers and a Christmassy jumper and is wearing her lab coat open over the top of her clothes. A body is lying on the table covered with a sheet.**

“That’s Irene, isn’t it?” Donovan questioned.

“It was supposed to be,” Mycroft grumbled.

** MYCROFT (to Sherlock): ** **The only one that fitted the description. Had her brought here – your home from home.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **You didn't need to come in, Molly.  
** ** MOLLY: ** **That's okay. Everyone else was busy with ... Christmas.  
** **_(Looking awkward, she gestures to the body)  
_ ** ** MOLLY: ** **The face is a bit, sort of, bashed up, so it might be a bit difficult.  
** **_(She pulls down the sheet to reveal the face)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **That's her, isn't it?  
** ** SHERLOCK (to Molly): ** **Show me the rest of her.**

**Grimacing, Molly walks along the side of the table, pulling back the sheet as she goes. Sherlock looks along the length of the body once, then turns and starts to walk away.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **That's her.**

“Is she really dead?” Anderson questioned, only being slightly suspicious because of Mycroft’s previous words.

“No,” Mycroft allowed, half surprised when he could say the spoiler.

** MYCROFT: ** **Thank you, Miss Hooper.  
** ** MOLLY: ** **Who is she? How did Sherlock recognise her from ... not her face?**

**Mycroft smiles politely at her, then turns and follows his brother. He finds him standing in the corridor outside, looking out of the window. Walking up behind him, he holds a cigarette over his shoulder.**

** MYCROFT: ** **Just the one.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Why?  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **Merry Christmas.  
** **_(Sherlock takes the cigarette and Mycroft digs into his coat pocket to find a lighter)_ **

“Boys!” Mrs Hudson exclaimed, with a shake of her head. Mycroft rolls her eyes at her, kind of happy that no one noticed to yell at him.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Smoking indoors – isn't there one of those ... one of those law things?  
** **_(Mycroft lights the cigarette for him)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **We're in a morgue. There's only so much damage you can do.**

Molly sighs in annoyance at them, shaking her head at the two. Wondering how someone so smart could say something so dumb.

**_(Sherlock inhales deeply and then blows the smoke out again)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **How did you know she was dead?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **She had an item in her possession, one she said her life depended on. She chose to give it up.  
** **_(He takes another drag on his cigarette)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **Where is this item now?**

**Sherlock looks round at the sound of sobbing. A family of three people is standing on the other side of the doors at the end of the corridor, cuddled together and clearly grieving the death of someone close to them. Sherlock and his brother turn to look at the family.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **Look at them. They all care so much. Do you ever wonder if there's something wrong with us?**

Kitty blinked in shock at Sherlock wondering if there was something wrong with him. That didn’t seem very in character of the Sherlock she knew.

** MYCROFT: ** **All lives end. All hearts are broken.** **_(He looks round at his brother)_ ** **Caring is not an advantage, Sherlock.  
** **_(Sherlock blows out another lungful of smoke, then looks down at the cigarette in disgust)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **This is** **_low_ ** **tar.  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **Well, you barely knew her.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Huh!  
** **_(He walks away down the corridor)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Merry Christmas, Mycroft.  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **And a happy New Year.  
** **_(As his brother continues down the corridor, flicking the ash from his cigarette onto the floor, Mycroft gets out his phone and hits a speed dial)  
_ ** **MYCROFT** **(into phone)** **:** **He's on his way.**

**_ 221B BAKER STREET - NIGHT  
_ ** **Mycroft is talking to John who is still back at the flat.**

“Why are you two talking?” Anderson questioned, suspicion in his voice.

“Because, despite all appearances, I do care about my brother,” Mycroft responded.

** MYCROFT (Over phone): ** **Have you found anything?  
** ** JOHN (Into phone): ** **No. Did he take the cigarette?  
** ** MYCROFT (Over phone): ** **Yes.  
** ** JOHN (Into phone): ** **Shit.** **_(He looks round to Mrs Hudson)_ ** **He's coming. Ten minutes.  
** ** MRS HUDSON: ** **There's nothing in the bedroom.  
** ** JOHN (Into phone): ** **Looks like he's clean. We've tried all the usual places. Are you sure tonight's a danger night?**

A few people sighed at the mention that Sherlock might be in danger, well those who cared about Sherlock did.

** MYCROFT: ** **No, but then I never am. You have to stay with him, John.  
** ** JOHN: ** **I've got plans.  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **No.  
** **_(He hangs up)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Mycroft. M...  
** **_(The line goes dead. Chewing the inside of his mouth, he walks across to where Jeanette is sitting on the sofa and sits down beside her)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **I am really sorry.  
** ** JEANETTE: ** **You know, my friends are so wrong about you.  
** ** JOHN: ** **Hmm?  
** ** JEANETTE: ** **You're a** **_great_ ** **boyfriend.**

“I would not have expected her to say that,” Donovan commented in shock. John winced, remembering that fight.

** JOHN (looking a little startled): ** **Okay, that's good. I mean, I always** **_thought_ ** **I was great.  
** ** JEANETTE: ** **And Sherlock Holmes is a very lucky man.**

Everyone laughs as John groans, a few people smirking over at John. “She’s not wrong,”

**_(John groans)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Jeanette, please.  
** ** JEANETTE (bitterly, putting on her shoes): ** **No, I mean it. It's heart-warming. You'll do anything for him – and he can't even tell your girlfriends apart.  
** **_(She stands up and heads for the door. He jumps up and follows her as she puts on her coat)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **No,** **_I'll_ ** **do anything for you. Just tell me what it is I'm not doing.** **_Tell_ ** **me!  
** ** JEANETTE: ** **Don't make me compete with Sherlock Holmes.  
** ** JOHN: ** **I'll walk your dog for you. Hey, I've said it now. I'll even walk your dog ...  
** ** JEANETTE: ** **I don't** **_have_ ** **a dog!  
** ** JOHN: ** **No, because that was ... the last one. Okay.**

John cringed at not being able to remember which girlfriend was which. His eyes stayed firmly on the screen though, avoiding all the looks he knew the others would give him.

** JEANETTE: ** **Jesus!  
** **_(Picking up her bag, she storms out)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **I'll call you.  
** ** JEANETTE: ** **No!  
** ** JOHN: ** **Okay.**

“You know, you’re taking this break up very calm,” Anderson commented in shock, and John shrugged not knowing what to say.

**_(Exasperated, he turns back into the room as she runs down the stairs. Mrs Hudson looks at him sympathetically)  
_ ** ** MRS HUDSON: ** **That really wasn't very good, was it?**

**Shortly afterwards, John is sitting in his chair reading a book. Sherlock comes up the stairs and stops in the doorway of the living room. John looks round at him.**

** JOHN: ** **Oh, hi.  
** **_(Sherlock stands there, his eyes roaming all around the living room)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **You okay?  
** **_(Sherlock continues to scan the room for a long moment, then turns and walks back to the kitchen door, heading for his bedroom)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Hope you didn't mess up my sock index this time.**

“Who has a sock index?” Kitty questioned in shock. Echoing what a few people were thinking.

**_(His bedroom door slams shut. John puts down his book and sighs heavily)_ **


	19. A Scandal in Belgravia (02x01 part 3/4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

**_ 221B BAKER STREET - DAY  
_ ** **Sherlock is standing at the left-hand window with his back to the living room and playing a sad lament on his violin. John walks into the room and sighs at the sight of him. Mrs Hudson walks across to the table and picks up the plates, looking at John pointedly to make him realise that Sherlock hasn’t touched his breakfast.**

Those that actually cared all sighed at seeing Sherlock not eating.

**John hums resignedly as he takes his jacket from the back of a chair and puts it on. Sherlock stops playing and picks up a pencil to make a notation on a piece of sheet music.**

** MRS HUDSON: ** **Lovely tune, Sherlock. Haven’t heard that one before.  
** ** JOHN: ** **You composing?**

“I didn’t know he actually composed,” Donovan mused quietly. She had known that Sherlock liked to play the violin, but she had no idea that he wrote as well.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Helps me to think.  
** **_(He turns back to the window, lifts the violin and begins to play the same tune again)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **What are you thinking about?  
** **_(Sherlock suddenly spins around and puts down the violin. He points at John’s laptop)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (rapidly): ** **The counter on your blog is still stuck at one thousand eight hundred and ninety-five.**

“I’m still curious as to why that matters,” Anderson mutters under his breath as he watches Sherlock curiously.

** JOHN: ** **Yeah, it’s faulty. Can’t seem to fix it.  
** ** SHERLOCK (taking out Irene’s camera phone): ** **Faulty – or you’ve been hacked and it’s a message.**

“Oh,”

**_(He pulls up the security lock with its_ ** **“I AM ---- LOCKED”** **_screen)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Hmm?**

**Sherlock types “1895” into the phone. The phone beeps warningly and a message comes up reading:** **_“WRONG PASSCODE. 3 ATTEMPTS REMAINING”_ ** **. The enthusiasm in his eyes dies again.**

Most of the people sighed at seeing the enthusiasm dying in Sherlock’s eyes. This being the first time they had seen the usual Sherlock on screen for a while.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Just faulty.  
** **_(He turns away and picks up his violin again)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Right.  
** **_(Sherlock begins to play the sad tune once more)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Right. Well, I’m going out for a bit.  
** **_(Sherlock doesn’t respond. John turns and walks to the kitchen where Mrs Hudson is tidying up)  
_ ** ** JOHN (quietly): ** **Listen: has he ever had** **_any_ ** **kind of ...** **_(he sighs)_ ** **... girlfriend, boyfriend, a relationship, ever?**

“Has Sherlock ever been in a relationship?” Molly questioned curiously.

“Not that we know of,” Mrs Hudson replied. As John glowered in his seat, still kind of annoyed that he doesn’t know everything about Sherlock.

** MRS HUDSON: ** **I don’t know.  
** ** JOHN (sighing in frustration): ** **How can we not know?**

“Why don’t you know?” Kitty questioned, having thought that those two knew everything about each other.

“In case you haven’t noticed, Sherlock is a very private person, and it didn’t exactly come up,” John answered, his tone clipped.

** MRS HUDSON: ** **He’s Sherlock. How will we** **_ever_ ** **know what goes on in that funny old head?  
** **_(John smiles sadly)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Right. See ya.**

**He trots off down the stairs. Mrs Hudson looks at Sherlock playing his violin at the window, and then leaves the room.**

**Downstairs, John goes out of the front door and pulls it closed. As he turns to go to the left, a woman is standing just to the right of the flat. She calls out to him.**

** WOMAN: ** **John?  
** ** JOHN: ** **Yeah.  
** **_(He stops and turns around to her as she looks at him flirtatiously)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Hello.  
** **_(It takes him a moment but then he realises that she’s very pretty and her body language appears to be saying, “Take me big boy I’m all yours.”)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Hello!  
** ** WOMAN (walking closer): ** **So, any plans for New Year tonight?  
** **_(John laughs while his eyes continually roam over her body)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Er, nothing fixed. Nothing I couldn’t heartlessly abandon. You have any ideas?**

John flushes in embarrassment as a few people raise their eyebrows at him. Though no one can really be all that surprised that John flirted with the random girl. Especially after watching this.

**_(The woman looks over her shoulder towards the road)  
_ ** ** WOMAN: ** **One.  
** **_(John follows her gaze and sighs in exasperation when a black car pulls up and stops beside them)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **You know, Mycroft could just phone me, if he didn’t have this bloody stupid power complex.**

“She doesn’t work for me,” Mycroft stated with a frown, causing everyone to frown as well. Worried for the doctor.

**_ BATTERSEA POWER STATION - DAY  
_ ** **They get into the car and it pulls away ... and takes them to the biggest power complex in the neighbourhood – the empty shell of Battersea Power Station. Pulling up inside the building, John and the woman get out and she leads him through the abandoned structure.**

** JOHN: ** **Couldn’t we just go to a café? Sherlock doesn’t follow me everywhere.**

“Oh please, like a coffee shop would be dramatic enough for the great Mycroft Holmes,” Lestrade jokes, much to everyone’s pleasure. Except for Mycroft who glares at the Inspector.

**_(Still walking, the woman types onto her phone, then stops and gestures ahead of herself)  
_ ** ** WOMAN: ** **Through there.  
** **_(John gives her a look, then walks on. The woman turns and heads back the way she came, lifting her phone to her ear)  
_ ** ** WOMAN (into phone): ** **He’s on his way. You were right – he thinks it’s Mycroft.**

“Who is she working for?” Molly questioned cautiously, though from the way this case was unfolding she figured she had a good idea.

“You’ll see soon,” John grumbled.

**_(John reaches a large room and starts talking straight away even though he can’t yet see anybody)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **He’s writing sad music; doesn’t eat; barely talks – only to correct the television.  
** **_(He walks further into the room and finally a figure begins to step out of the shadows at the other end)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **I’d say he was heartbroken but, er, well, he’s Sherlock. He does all that anyw...  
** **_(He trails off as Irene Adler walks into view)_ **

“Holy shit,” Anderson gasps as Irene appears. “Why am I surprised that she’s still alive?” He questions after a few seconds, more to himself than anything.

** IRENE: ** **Hello, Doctor Watson.  
** **_(She stops some distance away from him and he simply stares at her for several seconds_ ** **_before he finally finds some words)  
_ ** ** JOHN (quietly, but with a note of pleading in his voice): ** **Tell him you’re alive.**

“I thought you would be happy that Irene was out of the picture,” Kitty questioned, causing more than one person to glare at her.

“Sherlock has been miserable thinking she was dead, why wouldn’t I want Sherlock to know that she was alive?” John snapped back at her.

** IRENE (shaking her head): ** **He’d come after me.  
** ** JOHN: ** **_I’ll_ ** **come after you if you don’t.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Mmm, I believe you.  
** ** JOHN (louder): ** **You were dead on a slab. It was definitely you.  
** ** IRENE: ** **DNA tests are only as good as the records you keep.  
** ** JOHN: ** **And I bet you know the record-keeper.  
** ** IRENE: ** **I know what he likes, and I needed to disappear.  
** ** JOHN: ** **Then how come** **_I_ ** **can see you, and I don’t even want to?  
** ** IRENE: ** **Look, I made a mistake. I sent something to Sherlock for safe-keeping and now I need it back, so I need your help.**

“She means the phone right?” Anderson questions, and John, who Anderson was looking at, nodded.

** JOHN: ** **No.  
** ** IRENE: ** **It’s for his own safety.  
** ** JOHN: ** **So’s this: tell him you’re alive.  
** ** IRENE: ** **I can’t.  
** ** JOHN (breathing heavily and fighting back his anger): ** **Fine. I’ll tell him, and I still won’t help you.  
** **_(He turns and starts to walk away.)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **What do I say?**

Mycroft frowned as he stared at Irene. Never actually believing that she could have fallen for her brother.

** JOHN (furiously, turning back to her): ** **What do you** **_normally_ ** **say? You’ve texted him a** **_lot.  
_ ** **_(Irene has taken out a phone and holds it up as John stops and glares at her)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Just the usual stuff.  
** ** JOHN: ** **There is no ‘usual’ in this case.  
** **_(Irene looks down at her phone and starts to read back messages she has sent to Sherlock)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **“Good morning”; “I like your funny hat”; “I’m sad tonight. Let’s have dinner” ...  
** **_(John looks round at her, startled)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **... “You looked sexy on ‘Crimewatch.’ Let’s have dinner”; “I’m not hungry, let’s have dinner”.  
** **_(John stares at her in disbelief)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **You ...** **_flirted_ ** **with Sherlock Holmes?!**

“Why are you surprised that she flirted with him?” Mrs Hudson questions. “She literally made it so a moan sound every time she texted him,” She added with a light hint of disgust at that rude noise.

** IRENE (still looking at her phone): ** **_At_ ** **him. He never replies.**

“Sherlock always replies,” Lestrade mutters in confusion. “Doesn’t he?” He added looking over at Mycroft and John who both nod.

** JOHN: ** **No, Sherlock** **_always_ ** **replies – to** **_everything_ ** **. He’s Mr Punchline. He will outlive God trying to have the last word.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Does that make me special?  
** ** JOHN: ** **... I don’t know. Maybe.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Are you jealous?  
** ** JOHN: ** **We’re not a couple.**

A few people snort at John still being in denial after all this time. Much to the doctor’s annoyance.

** IRENE: ** **Yes you are. There ...  
** **_(She holds up her phone to show John the screen, although he’s too far away to read it. She tells him what she has typed anyway)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **“I’m not dead. Let’s have dinner.”  
** **_(She presses the Send button)_ **

Molly, Lestrade, Mrs Hudson and Anderson all smile in relief when she sends Sherlock the text. Off in the corner, Mycroft sighs, feeling conflicted. On one hand he felt happy that his brother was no longer sad, but on the other he remembered how exactly this particular case ended.

**_(John turns away momentarily and then turns back to her)  
_ ** ** JOHN (quietly): ** **Who ... who the hell knows about Sherlock Holmes, but – for the record – if anyone out there still cares, I’m not actually gay.**

“Denial,” Donovan coughed under her breath, shooting a teasing look over at a pouting John.

** IRENE: ** **Well, I** **_am_ ** **. Look at us both.  
** **_(John laughs ruefully. Just then an orgasmic female sigh can be heard a short distance away)_ **

Everyone but John's eyes widen at Sherlock being there. Even Mycroft was surprised that his baby brother had followed John.

“So much for Sherlock not following you everywhere,” Anderson manages to joke between his shock.

**In the corridor outside the room, unseen by either of them, Sherlock switches off his phone and rapidly walks away.** **John starts to walk in the direction of the sound but Irene holds out her hand to stop him. She looks at him pointedly.**

** IRENE: ** **I don’t think so, do you?**

“Why shouldn’t John go after Sherlock?” Molly questioned in confusion.

“Because he needed some time to himself,” Mrs Hudson responded quietly.

****

**_ BAKER STREET - NIGHT  
_ ** **Some time later, Sherlock is walking down Baker Street towards his flat, his gaze distant and lost.**

A few people sighed at the lost look on Sherlock’s face, feeling bad for him.

**As he arrives at the front door of 221B and turns to put his key in the door, his expression sharpens when he realises that the door has been jemmied open.**

Fear and worry shot everyone at the sigh of the door being jemmied open. They had no idea what was happening, but whatever it is, there was no way it could be good.

**Slowly pushing the door open, he goes inside and carefully puts his hand onto the opaque glass window of the interior door before also pushing that one open and stepping through into the hall. Immediately he sees that the door to 221A is ajar, and partway down the hall is a plastic bucket. He takes a quick glance at the various items inside the bucket and sees that they’re cleaning materials: a pair of rubber gloves, a duster, a spray can of what is probably screen and telephone sanitizer, a toilet brush and a bottle of disinfectant, and a couple of other items.**

“Where’s Mrs Hudson?” Molly questioned fearfully, dreading the answer.

**Sherlock steps closer to the stairs and sees a couple of scuff marks on the wall just above the risers. He instantly realises that one of the marks was made by someone awkwardly walking backwards up the stairs and having to feel their way with their feet, while the second was made by someone following the first person while facing forwards but being thrown off-balance by something. Looking more closely at the wall he sees a small indentation in the wallpaper. Putting a finger against the dent, his gaze becomes more intense as he deduces that it was formed by someone dragging their hand along the wall, clawing at it in a desperate attempt to stop themselves being hauled backwards up the stairs. The depth of the nail mark could only have been made by someone with fairly long nails, and now Sherlock knows that the person being dragged was Mrs Hudson.**

John reaches out to grab Mrs Hudson, hating that something bad happened to her.

**Slowly he looks upwards while he visualises her struggling as she was half-pulled and half-carried upstairs by a couple of men, a third man preceding them. In his mind, he hears her protests of, “Stop it!” at her assailants before she raised her head and cried out an anguished “** **Sherlock** **!”**

**Sherlock stares intensely up the stairs and slowly, without a muscle in his face moving, his expression changes from deductive to outright murderous. Sherlock stands there for a few seconds while his rage builds, and then he gets moving.**

Kitty blinks in shock at seeing Sherlock get so worked up about Mrs Hudson. Everything that she had found out about Sherlock was that he was an emotionless person who didn’t care about anyone. And yet that look was pure rage, she doubted anyone could fake that.

**Not long afterwards he slowly pushes open the door to the living room of 221B. In front of the fireplace Mrs Hudson is sitting on a dining chair facing the sofa, and behind her stands Neilson, the CIA man who led the raid on Irene’s house. He is holding another pistol with an over-compensatory silencer attached and is aiming the gun at the back of Mrs Hudson’s head. One of his men is standing looking out of the window but turns when the door opens; the other stands near the sliding door into the kitchen. As Sherlock slowly strolls into the room with his hands clasped behind his back, Mrs Hudson – already crying quietly – begins to sob a little louder.**

“Oh my god,” Molly gasped, with the Yarder's eyes widening. More than a few of them looked like they were ready to kill Neilson.

** MRS HUDSON: ** **Oh, Sherlock, Sherlock!  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Don’t snivel, Mrs Hudson. It’ll do nothing to impede the flight of a bullet.**

Kitty frowned. Because while the words sounded more like the Sherlock she knew, the murderous intent was still in his eyes.

**_(He looks at Neilson)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **What a tender world that would be.  
** ** MRS HUDSON (sobbing quietly as she gazes up at him): ** **Oh, please, sorry, Sherlock.  
** ** NEILSON: ** **I believe you have something that we want, Mr Holmes.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Then why don’t you ask for it?**

**He walks closer and holds out his right hand towards Mrs Hudson. She flails towards it, whimpering, and he gently turns back the sleeve of her right hand and looks at the bruises on her wrist.**

** MRS HUDSON (crying): ** **Sher...  
** ** NEILSON: ** **I’ve been asking this one. She doesn’t seem to know anything.  
** **_(Sherlock’s gaze rises a little and he sees that the right shoulder of Mrs H’s cardigan has been ripped at the seam, exposing her skin underneath)_ **

Everyone’s eyes, except for Moriarty, turned murderous at the thought of Neilson torturing Mrs Hudson.

** NEILSON: ** **But you know what I’m asking for, don’t you, Mr Holmes?**

**Sherlock looks a little higher and sees a cut on her right cheek. His eyes flick across to Neilson’s right hand holding the pistol. He has a silver ring on his third finger and there is blood on it. Sherlock raises his head and looks directly at Neilson – but he isn’t deducing him. In very rapid succession he is picking out target points on his body:**

**_Carotid Artery  
_ ** **_Skull  
_ ** **_Eyes_ **

**His eyes drop to Neilson’s arm and chest:**

**_Artery  
_ ** **_Lungs  
_ ** **_Ribs_ **

**He raises his eyes to Neilson’s again.**

“Is Sherlock really going to fight him?” Donovan questioned. “Can he even fight?” She added, not remembering Sherlock ever fighting.

“He can,” John defended his friend.

** SHERLOCK: ** **I believe I do.  
** **_(Mrs Hudson whimpers as he releases her hands and straightens up, putting his hands behind his back again)  
_ ** ** MRS HUDSON: ** **Oh, please, Sherlock.  
** ** SHERLOCK (to Neilson): ** **First, get rid of your boys.  
** ** NEILSON: ** **Why?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I dislike being outnumbered. It makes for too much stupid in the room.**

Anderson snorts as Sherlock calls the men stupid. HIs mind flashing back to everytime that Sherlock called him stupid.

**_(Neilson hesitates for a moment, then glances at his colleagues)  
_ ** ** NEILSON: ** **You two, go to the car.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Then get into the car and drive away.** **_(He looks back to Neilson)_ ** **Don’t try to trick me. You know who I am. It doesn’t work.**

A grin formed on Lestrade’s face at Sherlock making sure that the men actually left, he knew that Sherlock could look after himself, but he was still glad.

**_(He loudly clicks the ‘k’ of ‘work.’ The two men leave the room and head down the stairs)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Next, you can stop pointing that gun at me.  
** ** NEILSON: ** **So you can point a gun at me?  
** ** SHERLOCK (stepping back and spreading his arms to either side): ** **I’m unarmed.  
** ** NEILSON: ** **Mind if I check?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Oh, I insist.  
** **_(Neilson comes around from behind Mrs Hudson. She whimpers nervously)  
_ ** ** MRS HUDSON: ** **Don’t do anything.**

**Neilson walks over to Sherlock and pats his breast pocket and flicks the coat open while Sherlock stands meekly with his arms still spread. Walking around behind him, Neilson starts patting for any hidden weapon at his back. Sherlock rolls his eyes dramatically at Mrs Hudson.**

A few people smile at Sherlock rolling his eyes, relaxing slightly as they come to the conclusion that they would be alright.

**But he is already covertly starting to bend his right arm towards himself. So fast that your transcriber absolutely can’t tell where it came from, he whips out the sanitizer spray can, twists around and sprays the contents directly into Neilson’s eyes. As Neilson screams, Sherlock rears back and then savagely headbutts him in the face. Neilson falls back onto the coffee table, unconscious, and Sherlock triumphantly flips the can into the air.**

“Go Sherlock!” Anderson couldn’t help but cheer, pleasantly surprised that Sherlock could fight, even if it was dirty.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Moron.**

**Slamming the can onto the dining table, he hurries over to Mrs Hudson and, tutting – probably in annoyance at what the man has done to her – he drops to his knees in front of her.**

** MRS HUDSON (tearfully): ** **Oh, thank you.**

John finally lets go of Mrs Hudson at the proof that she was okay. Mrs Hudson smiles at John, though when he turns to look back at the screen, she subtly rubs her arm.

** SHERLOCK (gently stroking her face): ** **You’re all right now, you’re all right.  
** ** MRS HUDSON: ** **Yes.**

**Sherlock looks over his shoulder towards Neilson’s prone body, his expression still promising murder.**

**Not long afterwards, the black car pulls up outside 221 and John gets out. The car drives away and he walks to the door, then stops when he sees a handwritten note attached underneath the knocker. He looks around the street for a moment, then pushes the door open and goes inside. Written on the note is:**

**_CRIME IN PROGRESS  
_ ** **_PLEASE DISTURB_ **

Laughter filled the room, dissipating any tension that still lingered from everything that had been going on.

**He goes upstairs and hurries into the living room.**

** JOHN: ** **What’s going on?**

**He stops at the sight of Neilson, bound and gagged with duct tape and sitting on the chair near the fireplace. His nose is broken and blood has run down his face and is dripping from his chin. Mrs Hudson is sitting on the sofa and Sherlock is in a chair nearby, holding Neilson’s pistol aimed at him with one hand, and his phone to his ear with the other.**

** JOHN: ** **Jeez. What the hell is happening?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Mrs Hudson’s been attacked by an American. I’m restoring balance to the universe.**

Once again, everyone laughs at Sherlock’s joke, glad that the two of them was okay.

**_(John immediately hurries over to sit down next to her)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Oh, Mrs Hudson, my God. Are you all right?** **_(Glaring at Neilson as he puts his arm around her shoulders)_ ** **Jesus, what have they done to you?  
** **_(Mrs Hudson breaks down in tears again)  
_ ** ** MRS HUDSON (covering her face with her hands): ** **Oh, I’m just being so silly.**

“You’re not being silly,” Molly chided, sending a glare over at Mrs Hudson. “It’s a perfectly reasonable response,” She added in a no-nonse tone that no one thought she had.

** JOHN (pulling her closer): ** **No, no.  
** **_(Sherlock gets to his feet, still holding the phone to his ear while aiming the gun at Neilson)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (to John): ** **Downstairs. Take her downstairs and look after her.**

“Couldn’t you have helped Mrs Hudson upstairs as well?” Lestrade questions, though he had a feeling he knew the real reason why Sherlock wanted them downstairs.

**_(John stands up and helps her to her feet)  
_ ** ** JOHN (gently): ** **All right, it’s all right. I’ll have a look at that.  
** ** MRS HUDSON (tearfully): ** **I’m fine, I’m fine.  
** **_(As she walks out of the room, John steps over to Sherlock, whose eyes are fixed on Neilson)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I expect so. Now go.**

**They look at each other for a moment, then turn their gazes to Neilson and now he’s got** **two** **murderous expressions aimed at him. John turns to leave the room but just before his head is completely turned away, a small smile begins to form on his face as if he wants Neilson to understand that he is about to encounter a whole** **world** **of hurt.**

The Yarders and Mycroft all sigh as they confirm that Sherlock wasn’t just going to let Neilson get arrested without getting revenge first.

** SHERLOCK (into phone as John walks away): ** **Lestrade.**

Almost everyone gaped at the screen. None of them thought even for a second that Sherlock would actually call the police anytime soon.

** SHERLOCK (Into the phone): ** **We’ve had a break-in at Baker Street. Send your least irritating officers and an ambulance.** **_(Finally taking his eyes off Neilson, he walks across to the dining table and lays the pistol down on it)_ ** **Oh, no-no-no-no-no, we’re fine. No, it’s the, uh, it’s the burglar. He’s got himself rather badly injured.  
** **_(Neilson looks nervous while Sherlock listens to Lestrade’s question)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (Lying): ** **Oh, a few broken ribs, fractured skull ... suspected punctured lung.**

Those who hadn’t already, finally realised what Sherlock was planning to do as he gave Lestrade a list of fake injuries.

**_(He looks over his shoulder at Neilson)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (into phone): ** **He fell out of a window.**

“Sherlock throws Neilson out of a window doesn’t he?” Molly questions, John nods in answer and Molly sighs, though she still had a smile on her face.

**Still looking into Neilson’s eyes, he hangs up. Downstairs in Mrs Hudson’s kitchen, she and John are standing by the sink while he gently applies some antiseptic to the cut on her cheek with a piece of cotton wool. She flinches.**

** MRS HUDSON: ** **Ooh, it stings.**

**John nods as he continues cleaning the cut. A moment later a shape plummets down past the window and lands with a crash. John and Mrs H look at the window.**

** MRS HUDSON: ** **Ooh. That was right on my bins.**

Nobody could resist chuckling at the fact that Mrs Hudson was more worried about Neilson landing on her bins then about Neilson.

**There’s an agonised groan from outside. Some time later, it’s fully dark outside and an ambulance is only now pulling away from 221. Sherlock is standing outside Speedy’s café with Lestrade, who apparently decided that his least irritating officer was himself.**

** LESTRADE: ** **And exactly how many times** **_did_ ** **he fall out the window?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **It’s all a bit of a blur, Detective Inspector. I lost count.**

“Why didn’t you detain or question Sherlock further?” Kitty questioned, though maybe, just maybe, a small part of her was glad that Lestrade didn’t.

“Because if Sherlock lost his temper, then it had to be for a good reason,” Lestrade defended himself. “And it was,” He added nodding to the screen.

**Not bothering to comment, Lestrade walks away. A little later Sherlock comes in through the kitchen door of 221A and carefully wipes his feet on the doormat. Mrs Hudson and John are sitting at her small kitchen table. Mrs H still looks very shaken.**

** JOHN: ** **She’ll have to sleep upstairs in our flat tonight. We need to look after her.  
** ** MRS HUDSON: ** **No.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Of course, but she’s fine.**

“But you’re not fine, you just went through a traumatic ordeal?” Molly questioned in shock.

“I’m tougher than I look,” Mrs Hudson responded, smiling slightly that Sherlock wanted her around so badly.

** JOHN: ** **No, she’s not. Look at her.  
** **_(Sherlock opens the fridge door and peers inside before picking something up)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **She’s got to take some time away from Baker Street. She can go and stay with her sister. Doctor’s orders.  
** **_(Kicking the fridge door shut, Sherlock frowns at John and bites into a mince pie)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Don’t be absurd.**

“Wouldn’t it be better for Mrs Hudson if she left?” Donovan questioned curiously.

“Why would they bother coming back? Especially with their leader in prison and the fact that Mrs Hudson wasn’t their actual target,” John defended.

** JOHN: ** **She’s in shock, for God’s sake, and all over some bloody stupid camera phone. Where is it, anyway?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Safest place I know.**

“Where would that be?” Kitty questioned curiously.

“Probably on himself,” Anderson responded.

**Wiping crumbs from his mouth, he looks down at Mrs Hudson who reaches down inside her top and pulls the phone out of her bra before handing it to Sherlock.**

** MRS HUDSON: ** **You left it in the pocket of your second-best dressing gown, you clot.** **_(She laughs briefly)_ ** **I managed to sneak it out when they thought I was having a cry.**

A few people smile at Mrs Hudson sneaking the phone out. Though the majority of them were shocked that Sherlock had actually forgotten the phone.

**SHERLOCK (tossing it into the air before putting it in his coat pocket): ** **Thank you.  
** **_(He looks at John)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Shame on you, John Watson.  
** ** JOHN: ** **Shame on** **_me_ ** **?!  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Mrs Hudson leave Baker Street?  
** **_(He puts a protective arm around her shoulders and pulls her closer to him)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (sternly): ** **England would fall.**

Laughter filled the room at Sherlock’s dramatic words, while Mrs Hudson grins proudly at Sherlock’s words.

**_(She laughs and strokes his hand. He chuckles gently. John smiles at them both)_ **

****

**_ 221B BAKER STREET - NIGHT  
_ ** **Later, the boys are back upstairs. John fixes himself a drink in the kitchen and then comes into the living room where Sherlock is taking off his coat.**

** JOHN: ** **Where is it now?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Where no-one will look.**

“Where did he put the phone?” Kitty questioned again, no one answered her for only John knew for certain where it was. Yet the others had ideas, they didn’t bother sharing it.

**_(Walking across to the window, he picks up his violin and turns his back to the room)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Whatever’s on that phone is more than just pictures.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Yes, it is.  
** **_(He tinkers with his violin and checks its tuning. John watches him for a moment)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **So, she’s alive then. How are we feeling about that?  
** **_(In the distance, Big Ben begins to toll the hour. Sherlock pulls in a sharp breath)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Happy New Year, John.**

A couple people sighed at Sherlock dodging John’s questions, most of them wanting to know for themselves.

** JOHN: ** **Do you think you’ll be seeing her again?**

**Turning around but not yet meeting his eyes, Sherlock picks up his bow and flips it in the air before catching it and then starting to play “Auld Lang Syne,” looking pointedly at John. John gets the message and sits down in his chair while Sherlock turns back to the window and continues to play.**

**_ NEAR ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL - NIGHT  
_ ** **Not far away, within sight of St Paul’s Cathedral, Irene is walking along the street when her phone trills a text alert. Taking the phone from her bag and checking the message, she sees that it reads:**

**_Happy New Year  
_ ** **_SH_ **

**She looks at the message for a long time before continuing onwards.**

“I thought Sherlock never replied,” Anderson commented.

“Guess he changed his mind,”

****

**_ ST BART’S - DAY  
_ ** **In the lab, Sherlock is looking at an X-ray on a computer screen which is showing the interior parts of a phone.**

“Why is he x-raying it?” Molly questioned, after all Sherlock had never told her.

“To see if he could tamper with it, which he can’t,” Mycroft answered.

**_(Molly is nearby. He leans closer to the screen and sees four small round dark areas scattered around the phone. He looks exasperated)  
_ ** ** MOLLY: ** **Is that a phone?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **It’s a camera phone.  
** ** MOLLY: ** **And you’re X-raying it?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Yes, I am.  
** ** MOLLY: ** **Whose phone is it?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **A woman’s.  
** ** MOLLY: ** **Your girlfriend?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **You think she’s my girlfriend because I’m X-raying her possessions?  
** ** MOLLY (laughing nervously): ** **Well, we all do silly things.**

“That sounds like you’re talking from experience,” Lestrade says, in a questioning tone.

“That’s because I have,” She answered, blushing, but didn’t bother to elaborate.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Yes.  
** **_(He lifts his head as if suddenly inspired and he looks round to Molly)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **They** **_do_ ** **, don’t they?** **_Very_ ** **silly.  
** **_(She looks confused as he gets to his feet and takes the phone out of the X-ray machine and holds it up)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **She sent this to my address, and she loves to play games.  
** ** MOLLY: ** **She does?**

**Sherlock pulls up the “I AM ---- LOCKED” screen and types “221B” into the phone. The phone beeps warningly and a message comes up reading: “WRONG PASSCODE. 2 ATTEMPTS REMAINING”. He looks exasperated and sits down again.**

****

**_ 221B BAKER STREET - DAY  
_ ** **Some months later. Sherlock reaches the top of the stairs and then stops abruptly outside the kitchen door. He sniffs deeply.**

“What is with Sherlock and sniffing things?” Donovan questioned, and to John’s surprise, there wasn’t any disgust in her tone, just simply curoursity.

“To use all his senses,” John answered unhelpfully.

**Taking a couple more deep breaths, he turns and looks into the kitchen, then walks across to the window and checks it, realising that it is open. Turning and sniffing again, he starts to walk slowly towards his bedroom just as the downstairs door slams and feet start trotting up the stairs. Reaching his room, he pushes the door open as John comes into the kitchen with bags of shopping. Sherlock walks into the bedroom and turns to stand and look down at the bed. John notices him.**

** JOHN: ** **Sherlock ...  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **We have a client.**

“It’s Irene isn’t it?” Anderson question, to which, John nodded with a sigh.

** JOHN: ** **What, in your bedroom?!  
** **_(He walks along the passage and into the bedroom, then his jaw drops when he sees the bed)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Ohhh.  
** **_(Irene – fully clothed – is asleep in Sherlock’s bed)_ **

“What does she want?” Lestrade questions, glaring slightly at the woman.

“Help,” John replied in a clipped tone.

**Some time later Irene has apparently showered, as her hair is loose and damp. She is wearing one of Sherlock’s dressing gowns and is sitting in his chair in the living room. The boys are sitting at the dining table looking at her.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **So who’s after you?  
** ** IRENE: ** **People who want to kill me.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Who’s that?  
** ** IRENE: ** **Killers.  
** ** JOHN: ** **It would help if you were a tiny bit more specific.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **So you faked your own death in order to get ahead of them.  
** ** IRENE: ** **It worked for a while.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Except you let John know that you were alive, and therefore me.  
** ** IRENE: ** **I knew** **_you’d_ ** **keep my secret.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **_You_ ** **couldn’t.  
** ** IRENE: ** **But you** **_did_ ** **, didn’t you? Where’s my camera phone?**

“Oh please, like Sherlock would just hand it over,” Mrs Hudson huffed, and shook her head.

“But, why did you keep her secret?” Kitty questioned.

John would be lying if he said that he hadn’t thought about it. But Sherlock had been so disappointed when she was dead that he hadn’t gone through with it. Not that John ever bothered to answer Kitty.

** JOHN: ** **It’s not here. We’re not stupid.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Then what have you done with it? If they’ve guessed you’ve got it, they’ll be watching you.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **If they’ve been watching me, they’ll know that I took a safety deposit box at a bank on the Strand a few months ago.**

“Though did Sherlock actually put the phone into the deposit box or did he just visit it to throw people off?” Anderson questioned curiously.

“I see you’re finally using your brain,” Mycroft commented instead of answering.

** IRENE: ** **I need it.  
** ** JOHN: ** **Well, we can’t just go and get it, can we?  
** **_(He looks round to Sherlock, inspired)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Molly Hooper. She could collect it, take it to Bart’s; then one of your homeless network could bring it here, leave it in the café, and one of the boys downstairs could bring it up the back.  
** ** SHERLOCK (smiling): ** **Very good, John. Excellent plan, with intelligent precautions.  
** ** JOHN: ** **Thank you.** **_(He picks up his phone)_ ** **So, why don’t ... Oh, for ...  
** **_(He has just seen Sherlock take the camera phone out of his jacket pocket and hold it up)_ **

“Of course Sherlock has the phone on him,” Lestrade mutters to himself fondly.

**_(Sherlock looks at the phone closely as Irene stands up)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **So what do you keep on here – in general, I mean?  
** ** IRENE: ** **Pictures, information, anything I might find useful.  
** ** JOHN: ** **What, for blackmail?  
** ** IRENE: ** **For protection. I make my way in the world; I misbehave. I like to know people will be on my side exactly when I need them to be.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **So how do you acquire this information?  
** ** IRENE: ** **I told you – I misbehave.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **But you’ve acquired something that’s more danger than protection. Do you know what it is?  
** ** IRENE: ** **Yes, but I don’t understand it.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I assumed. Show me.  
** **_(Irene holds out her hand for the phone. Sherlock holds it up out of her reach)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **The passcode.**

**She continues to hold her hand out, and eventually Sherlock sits forward and hands her the phone. Activating it and holding it so he can’t see the screen or the keypad, she types in four characters. The phone beeps warningly.**

** IRENE: ** **It’s not working.  
** ** SHERLOCK (standing up and taking the phone from her): ** **No, because it’s a duplicate that I had made, into which you’ve just entered the numbers one oh five eight.**

Everyone snorts, and the few people who hadn’t realised that the phone was different, relaxed. Having been confused that Sherlock had actually just handed it over.

**_(He walks over to his chair in which she was just sitting and retrieves the real camera phone from under the cushion)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I assumed you’d choose something more specific than that but, um, thanks anyway.**

**He pulls up the “I AM ---- LOCKED” screen and types “1058” into the phone. He looks at her smugly but then the phone beeps warningly and a message comes up reading: “WRONG PASSCODE. 1 ATTEMPT REMAINING”. He stares in disbelief.**

** IRENE: ** **I** **_told_ ** **you that camera phone was my life. I know when it’s in my hand.**

“Of course she knew,” Donovan grumbled under her breath while the others glared, wishing that Sherlock’s plan had worked.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Oh, you’re rather good.  
** ** IRENE (smiling at him): ** **You’re not so bad.**

**She holds out her hand again and takes the phone from him. John frowns at the pair of them while they have intense eyesex for the next few seconds.**

John suddenly glares at the screen, feeling anger rise up in him.

** JOHN (abruptly): ** **Hamish.  
** **_(They both turn to look at him)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **John Hamish Watson – just if you were looking for baby names.**

A couple people snort at John’s suggestions, shaking their heads at his antics.

**_(Sherlock frowns in confusion)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **There was a man – an MOD official. I knew what he liked.  
** **_(Walking a short distance away from the boys so they can’t see her screen or keypad, she types in her real passcode and calls up a photo)  
_ ** **IRENE: One of the things he liked was showing off. He told me this email was going to save the world. He didn’t know it, but I photographed it. ** **_(She hands the phone to Sherlock)_ ** **He was a bit tied up at the time. It’s a bit small on that screen – can you read it?**

**Sherlock sits down on the other side of the table to John and narrows his eyes at the photograph. The top of the email – possibly the subject line – reads:**

**_007 Confirmed allocation_ **

**Underneath in smaller print is a string of numbers:**

**_4C12C45F13E13G60A60B61F34G34J60D12H33K34K_ **

Mycroft sighed, instantly recognising the message.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Yes.  
** ** IRENE: ** **A code, obviously. I had one of the best cryptographers in the country take a look at it – though he was mostly upside down, as I recall. Couldn’t figure it out.  
** **_(Sherlock leans forward, concentrating on the screen)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **What can** **_you_ ** **do, Mr Holmes?  
** **_(She leans over his shoulder)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Go on. Impress a girl.**

**Time slows down as she begins to lean towards him. Oblivious to her approach, the numbers in the code race through Sherlock’s mind and begin to form into shapes for him. Opposite him, John has taken a drink of tea and is lowering his mug in slow motion towards the table. By the time the mug reaches the table and Irene has leaned in and kissed Sherlock’s cheek, he has already solved it. His eyes drift momentarily in her direction as she pulls back smiling, but then he concentrates on the screen again.**

**SHERLOCK (speaking rapidly):** **There’s a margin for error but I’m pretty sure there’s a Seven Forty-Seven leaving Heathrow tomorrow at six thirty in the evening for Baltimore. Apparently it’s going to save the world. Not sure how that can be true but give me a moment; I’ve only been on the case for eight seconds.**

Not for the first time, Mycroft wished that Sherlock wasn’t so smart, so Sherlock wouldn’t accidentally ruin all his plans.

**_(He looks at John’s blank face in front of him, then glances round at Irene who hasn’t even fully straightened up yet)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Oh, come on. It’s not code. These are seat allocations on a passenger jet. Look ...  
** **_(He shows the screen to John)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (quick fire): ** **There’s no letter ‘I’ because it can be mistaken for a ‘1’; no letters past ‘K’ – the width of the plane is the limit. The numbers always appear randomly and not in sequence but the letters have little runs of sequence all over the place – families and couples sitting together. Only a Jumbo is wide enough to need the letter ‘K’ or rows past fifty-five, which is why there’s always an upstairs. There’s a row thirteen, which eliminates the more superstitious airlines. Then there’s the style of the flight number – zero zero seven – that eliminates a few more; and assuming a British point of origin, which would be logical considering the original source of the information and assuming from the increased pressure on you lately that the crisis is imminent, the only flight that matches all the criteria and departs within the week is the six thirty to Baltimore tomorrow evening from Heathrow Airport.**

Mycroft winces, feeling annoyed that the one time Sherlock decides to fall for a girl, it’s such a bad one.

**_(By now he has stood up, and now he lowers the phone and looks down at Irene, who gazes up at him in admiration)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Please don’t feel obliged to tell me that was remarkable or amazing. John’s expressed the same thought in every possible variant available to the English language.**

Everyone laughs at John’s expense who tries to be mad, but finds himself smiling slightly anyway.

** IRENE (intensely): ** **I would have you right here on this desk until you begged for mercy twice.**

The Yarders all raise an eyebrow in surprise at her words, while Molly flushes and John glares at her.

**_(The two of them stare at each other for a long moment before Sherlock speaks again)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (with his eyes still locked on Irene’s): ** **John, please can you check those flight schedules; see if I’m right?  
** ** JOHN (vaguely, overcome by all the sex in the air): ** **Uh-huh. I’m on it, yeah.  
** **_(Clearing his throat, he starts to type on his laptop. Sherlock and Irene continue to stare at each other)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I’ve never begged for mercy in my life.  
** ** IRENE (emphatically): ** **Twice.**

John glares at her even harder.

** JOHN (looking at his screen): ** **Uh, yeah, you’re right. Uh, flight double oh seven.  
** ** SHERLOCK (looking round at him): ** **What did you say?  
** ** JOHN: ** **You’re right.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **No, no, no, after that. What did you say after that?  
** ** JOHN: ** **Double oh seven. Flight double oh seven.  
** ** SHERLOCK (quietly to himself): ** **Double oh seven, double oh seven, double oh seven, double oh seven ...  
** **_(Pushing Irene out of the way, he begins to pace)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **... something ... something connected to double oh seven ... What?**

**As he continues to pace and mutter the numbers to himself, Irene puts her other phone behind her back and begins to type blind on it:**

**_747 TOMORROW 6:30PM HEATHROW_ **

Everyone, bar Kitty and Moriarity glared at Irene typing on the screen. “Who is she texting?” Anderson questioned curiously. Though no one needed to answer as he caught sight of Moriarty smirking to himself.

****

**_ WESTMINSTER - DAY  
_ ** **The message is sent to the phone of Jim Moriarty. Standing in Westminster very near the Houses of Parliament, he takes out his phone and reads the message.**

All the originals glared at Moriarty, both on and off the screen, though mostly off the screen.

****

**_ 221B BAKER STREET - DAY  
_ ** **Back at 221B, Sherlock has walked to the fireplace and is standing in front of the mirror with his eyes closed.**

** SHERLOCK (quietly): ** **Double oh seven, double oh seven, what, what, something,** **_what_ ** **?**

**His eyes snap open as he begins to remember and he turns and looks at the living room door, remembering Mycroft standing on the landing talking into his phone.**

** MYCROFT (in flashback): ** **Bond Air is go.**

“Is that clever or dumb?,” Lestrade mused to himself.

“Honestly, I’m just surprised that Sherlock knew that reference,” Anderson commented, not to be mean, just stating a fact.

**_(Sherlock walks towards the door)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT (in flashback): ** **Bond Air is go. ... Bond Air is go.**

****

**_ WESTMINSTER - DAY  
_ ** **While the words continue to echo in Sherlock’s mind, at Westminster Jim is typing a message onto his phone:**

**_Jumbo Jet. Dear me Mr Holmes, dear me._ **

**He presses Send and the message wings its way up into the air. As if watching it go, Jim raises his eyes towards Big Ben, the very image of the seat of the British government, and blows a long and loud raspberry at it.**

****

**_ MYCROFT’S OFFICE - DAY  
_ ** **At Mycroft’s fancy office he picks up his phone from the dining table and looks at a newly arrived message. It reads:**

**_Jumbo Jet. Dear me Mr Holmes, dear me._ **

**Time passes and Mycroft returns to the chair at the end of the dining table and sinks down into it, running his hand over his face and clearly still shocked by the turn of events.**

**More time passes and Mycroft has removed his jacket and has a glass of brandy in front of him. His hands are folded in front of his mouth and he is lost in wide-eyed and horrified thought.**

**Much later, as night begins to fall, Mycroft’s face is furrowed with anguish and his eyes are still wide at the horror which only he knows about. The glass beside him is empty. Slowly he closes his eyes and sinks his head into his hands in despair.**

A few people frowned at Mycroft’s look of despair, wincing at Sherlock making everything worse.

****

**_ 221B BAKER STREET - NIGHT  
_ ** **Sherlock sits in his armchair gently plucking the strings of his violin. In his mind he can still hear Mycroft’s phone call.**

** MYCROFT (voiceover): ** **Bond Air is go, that’s decided. Check with the Coventry lot.  
** **_(Sherlock finally rouses a little and looks up)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Coventry.  
** **_(Irene, still wearing Sherlock’s dressing gown and with her hair down, is curled up in John’s chair watching him closely)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **I’ve never been. Is it nice?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Where’s John?  
** ** IRENE: ** **He went out a couple of hours ago.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I was just talking to him.**

Everyone chuckles as Sherlock once again doesn’t notice John leaving. John shaking his head in amusement at his late best-friend.

** IRENE (smiling): ** **He** **_said_ ** **you do that. What’s Coventry got to do with anything?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **It’s a story, probably not true. In the Second World War, the Allies knew that Coventry was going to get bombed because they’d broken the German code but they didn’t want the Germans to** **_know_ ** **that they’d broken the code, so they let it happen anyway.**

Mycroft frowned at the story, but didn’t bother reacting otherwise, figuring that the damage had already been done.

** IRENE: ** **Have you ever had anyone?  
** **_(Sherlock frowns at her blankly)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Sorry?  
** ** IRENE: ** **And when I say “had,” I’m being indelicate.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I don’t understand.**

A couple people chuckling at Sherlock being so confused. Sometimes they could forget that some simple interactions slipped Sherlock’s mind.

** IRENE: ** **Well, I’ll be delicate then.**

**Getting up from the chair she walks over and kneels in front of Sherlock, putting her left hand on top of his right hand and curling her fingers around it.**

** IRENE: ** **Let’s have dinner.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Why?  
** ** IRENE: ** **Might be hungry.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I’m not.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Good.  
** **_(Hesitantly, Sherlock sits forward a little and slowly turns his right hand over, curling his fingers around her wrist)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Why would I want to have dinner if I wasn’t hungry?  
** **_(Slowly Irene begins to lean forward, her gaze fixed on his lips)  
_ ** ** IRENE (softly): ** **Oh, Mr Holmes ...  
** **_(Sherlock’s fingers gently stroke across the underside of her wrist)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **... if it was the end of the world, if this was the very last night, would you have dinner with me?  
** ** MRS HUDSON (calling up the stairs): ** **Sherlock!  
** **_(Sherlock’s eyes slide towards the door)  
_ ** ** IRENE (ruefully): ** **Too late.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **That’s not the end of the world; that’s Mrs Hudson.  
** **_(Irene pulls her hand free and stands up, walking away from him as Mrs Hudson comes in with none other than Plummer from the Palace)  
_ ** ** MRS HUDSON: ** **Sherlock, this man was at the door. Is the bell still not working?  
** **_(She turns around to Plummer and points at Sherlock)  
_ ** ** MRS HUDSON: ** **He shot it.**

Everyone laughed at the news, no one surprised as everyone who was there, flashed back to the Blind Baker case and Sherlock shooting the wall.

** SHERLOCK (tetchily, to Plummer): ** **Have you come to take me away** **_again_ ** **?  
** ** PLUMMER: ** **Yes, Mr Holmes.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Well, I decline.  
** ** PLUMMER (taking an envelope from his jacket and offering it to him): ** **I don’t think you do.**

**Sherlock snatches it from him and opens it. Inside is a Business Class boarding pass for Flyaway Airways in the name of Sherlock Holmes for flight number 007 to Baltimore, scheduled to leave at 18.30.**

“Why does Sherlock have the ticket plane to the one thats getting shot down?” Lestrade questions, his voice hard as he turns to Mycroft, knowing that he was the one who was behind it. 

“I guess you’ll see,” Mycroft answered, not feeling like explaining himself.

**Very shortly afterwards, Sherlock has put on his coat and is getting into the back of a car outside the flat. As Plummer gets into the passenger seat and the car drives away, Irene stands at the window of the flat and watches them go.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is a little late, but does anyone have any ships they want for this fanfic?


	20. A Scandal in Belgravia (02x01 part 4/4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

**_ CAR - NIGHT  
_ ** **In the car, Sherlock gets out the plane ticket again, then tells Plummer what he has deduced.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **There’s going to be a bomb on a passenger jet. The British and American governments know about it but rather than expose the source of that information they’re going to let it happen. The plane will blow up. Coventry all over again. The wheel turns.** **_Nothing_ ** **is ever new.**

**Neither Plummer nor the driver respond to him in any way. Some time later the car arrives at Heathrow Airport and is driven past hangars to a 747 Jumbo Jet parked on the tarmac. The car stops near the plane and Sherlock gets out and walks over to the steps which lead up to the entry door. A familiar figure is standing at the bottom of the steps. It’s Neilson.**

Almost everyone glares at Neilson, more than one of them wishing that the injuries that Sherlock had given him had been enough to kill.

** SHERLOCK (nonchalantly, in a deliberately fake American accent): ** **Well, you’re lookin’ all better. How ya feelin’?  
** ** NEILSON: ** **Like putting a bullet in your brain ... sir.  
** **_(Sherlock lets out a quiet snigger and starts to walk up the steps)  
_ ** ** NEILSON: ** **They’d pin a medal on me if I did …**

“No one would give you a medal for killing Sherlock,” John found himself grumbling quietly to himself with a glare.

**_(Sherlock stops)  
_ ** ** NEILSON (insincerely): ** **... sir.**

**Sherlock half-turns back towards him, then apparently decides he can’t be bothered and continues up the steps. Inside, he pulls back the curtain obscuring the passenger seating and walks into the aisle. The lighting is very low and it’s hard to see. There are people sitting in almost all the seats but none of them is moving or speaking or showing any signs of life at all. Frowning, he walks forward and looks more closely at the nearest passengers. An overhead light shows more clearly the faces of two men sitting beside each other and Sherlock now realises the truth: they are dead.**

“Oh my god,” Molly gasped in shock as she realised that the passengers were dead. Her eyes were wide in shock, as the others echoed her sentiment.

**Although they’re not yet showing any signs of decomposition, their skin is very grey and they’ve clearly been dead for some time. He turns and looks to the passengers on the other side of the aisle, turning on another overhead light to get a better view. The man and woman sitting there are also long dead. As he straightens up, realising that everyone on board the plane must be in the same condition, his brother speaks from the other end of the section.**

** MYCROFT: ** **The Coventry conundrum.**

**Sherlock turns as Mycroft pushes back the curtain and steps through into the cabin. For the first part of the ensuing conversation he talks softly, almost as if out of respect for the dead bodies in front of him.**

** MYCROFT: ** **What do you think of my solution?  
** **_(Sherlock gazes around the cabin, still taking it all in)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **The flight of the dead.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **The plane blows up mid-air. Mission accomplished for the terrorists. Hundreds of casualties, but nobody dies.**

“That’s actually a good idea,” Lestrade muses quietly to himself, and though almost everyone hears him, no one comments on it.

** MYCROFT: ** **Neat, don’t you think?  
** **_(Sherlock smiles humorlessly)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **You’ve been stumbling round the fringes of this one for ages – or were you too bored to notice the pattern?  
** **_(Sherlock flashes back in his mind to the two little girls sitting in his living room)  
_ ** ** LITTLE GIRL: ** **They wouldn’t let us see Granddad when he was dead.  
** **_(He lifts his head a little, remembering the creepy guy sitting in the same chair on a different occasion, holding a funeral urn)  
_ ** ** CREEPY GUY: ** **She’s not my real aunt. I** **_know_ ** **human ash.**

“Huh, I guess he did know human ash,” Anderson muses quietly to himself.

“That just makes it creepier,” Donovan added with a cringe.

** MYCROFT: ** **We ran a similar project with the Germans a while back, though I believe one of our passengers didn’t make the flight.  
** **_(Sherlock flashes back to the car with the body in the boot and the passport stamped in Berlin airport)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **But that’s the deceased for you – late, in every sense of the word.**

"Really?” Mrs Hudson frowns slightly over at Mycroft. Though her tone was mostly teasing, after all, she had gotten used to the Holmes' weird sense of humor.

** SHERLOCK: ** **How’s the plane going to fly?** **_(He answers himself immediately)_ ** **Of course: unmanned aircraft. Hardly new.  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **It** **_doesn’t_ ** **fly. It will** **_never_ ** **fly. This entire project is cancelled. The terrorist cells have been informed that we know about the bomb. We can’t fool them now. We’ve lost everything. One fragment of one email, and months and years of planning finished.**

Everyone’s eyes widened as they realised what Mycroft was talking about, before wincing as they remembered how Sherlock was the one who figured it out.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Your MOD man.  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **That’s all it takes: one lonely naïve man desperate to show off, and a woman clever enough to make him feel special.  
** ** SHERLOCK (quirking an eyebrow): ** **Hmm. You should screen your defence people more carefully.  
** ** MYCROFT (loudly, furiously): ** **I’m not talking about the MOD man, Sherlock; I’m talking about** **_you._ **

More than one person winced as Mycroft turns on his brother.

**_(He slams the tip of his umbrella on the floor. Sherlock frowns, genuinely confused)_ **

No one was surprised at the confused look on Sherlock’s face, though it did elicit some sympathy from John and Molly.

** MYCROFT (more softly): ** **The damsel in distress.** **_(He smiles ironically)_ ** **In the end, are you really so obvious? Because this was textbook: the promise of love, the pain of loss, the joy of redemption; then give him a puzzle ...** **_(his voice drops to a whisper while he twirls the end of his umbrella in the air)_ ** **... and watch him dance.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Don’t be absurd.  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **Absurd? How quickly did you decipher that email for her? Was it the full minute, or were you really** **_eager_ ** **to impress?  
** ** IRENE (from behind Sherlock): ** **I think it was less than five seconds.**

“Holly shit,” Anderson speaks up in shock. “When the hell did she get there?” He added, and no one responded, everyone but Moriarty and Mycroft still shocked that she was there.

**Sherlock spins around to see her standing at the end of the cabin, dressed beautifully, fully made up and with her hair perfectly coiffured. This is The Woman at her immaculate best.**

“When did she have time to get dressed?” Molly questioned in shock. After all, they hadn’t been talking that long, and Irene had been at Sherlock’s house.

** MYCROFT (ruefully to Sherlock): ** **I drove you into her path.** **_(He pauses momentarily)_ ** **I’m sorry.** **_(He lowers his eyes)_ ** **I didn’t know.**

Any and all anger anyone (namely John) felt at Mycroft yelling at Sherlock was gone as he genuinely apologized.

**_(Sherlock is still looking at Irene as she walks towards him)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Mr Holmes, I think we need to talk.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **So do I. There are a number of aspects I’m still not quite clear on.  
** ** IRENE (walking past him): ** **Not you, Junior. You’re done now.**

"I thought she actually cared about Sherlock?” Donovan questioned sadly. Even if she liked Sherlock, she still knew how hard it was to be rejected by someone you cared about.

**She continues down the aisle towards Mycroft. Sherlock turns and watches her go as she activates her phone and holds it up to show his brother.**

** IRENE: ** **There’s more ... loads more. On this phone I’ve got secrets, pictures and scandals that could topple your whole world. You have no idea how much havoc I can cause and exactly one way to stop me – unless you want to tell your masters that your biggest security leak is your own little brother.**

“What could Irene possibly want?” Molly questioned curiously. The woman had always seemed like she had everything that she wanted.

**_(Mycroft can no longer hold her gaze and turns his head away, lowering his eyes)_ **

****

**_ MYCROFT’S OFFICE - NIGHT  
_ ** **Some time later Mycroft has brought Irene and Sherlock to his residence/office. The older brother sits at the dining table with Irene seated opposite him. Sherlock is in the armchair near the fireplace a few yards away, half turned away from the pair of them. The fingers on his right hand are repeatedly clenching while he listens to the other two speak. Mycroft points down at the camera phone which is lying on the table in front of him. There is no aggression or threat in his voice as he speaks to Irene.**

** MYCROFT: ** **We have people who can get into this.  
** ** IRENE: ** **I tested that theory for you. I let Sherlock Holmes try it for six months.**

Everyone glared at Irene for using Sherlock like that, especially since it had given her the upper hand in hurting the Holmes brothers.

**_(Sherlock closes his eyes briefly, grimacing slightly)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Sherlock, dear, tell him what you found when you X-rayed my camera phone.  
** ** SHERLOCK (flatly): ** **There are four additional units wired inside the casing, I suspect containing acid or a small amount of explosive.  
** **_(Mycroft lowers his head into his hand)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Any attempt to open the casing will burn the hard drive.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Explosive.** **_(She looks at Mycroft)_ ** **It’s more me.  
** ** MYCROFT (lifting his head and looking at her again): ** **Some data is always recoverable.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Take that risk?  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **You have a passcode to open this. I deeply regret to say we have people who can extract it from you.  
** ** IRENE (calmly): ** **Sherlock?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **There will be two passcodes: one to open the phone, one to burn the drive. Even under duress you can’t know which one she’s given you and there will be no point in a second attempt.  
** ** IRENE: ** **He’s good, isn’t he? I should have him on a leash – in fact, I** **_might._ **

Their glares intensified at Irene’s words, while luckily, or unlucky depending on how you see it, no one noticed the smirk on Moriarty’s lips.

**_(She gazes intensely at Sherlock but he remains turned away from her and can’t see her expression)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **We destroy this, then.** **_No-one_ ** **has the information.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Fine. Good idea ... unless there are lives of British citizens depending on the information you’re about to burn.**

Sadness filled the room at the mention of people’s lives being in danger because it, more than one person wishing that she would get the hell away.

** MYCROFT: ** **Are there?  
** ** IRENE: ** **Telling you would be playing fair. I’m not playing any more.  
** **_(She reaches into her handbag on the table in front of her and takes out an envelope which she pushes across the table to him)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **A list of my requests; and some ideas about my protection once they’re granted.**

“Forget protection, I’m gonna kill you for messing with Sherlock,” John growled in annoyance, his eyes narrowing.

**_(Mycroft takes the sheet of paper from the envelope and starts to unfold it)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **I’d say it wouldn’t blow much of a hole in the wealth of the nation – but then I’d be lying.  
** **_(He raises his eyebrows in amazement as he reads through the demands she has listed)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **I imagine you’d like to sleep on it.  
** ** MYCROFT (still reading): ** **Thank you, yes.  
** ** IRENE: ** **Too bad.  
** **_(He looks up at her. In the armchair, Sherlock snorts in almost silent amusement)  
_ ** ** IRENE (to Mycroft): ** **Off you pop and talk to people.  
** **_(Sighing, Mycroft sinks back in his chair)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **You’ve been very ... thorough. I wish our lot were half as good as you.  
** ** IRENE: ** **I can’t take all the credit. Had a bit of help.  
** **_(She looks across to Sherlock)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Oh, Jim Moriarty sends his love.**

Those who were on Team Sherlock, glared at the mere mention of Moriarty, because of course he is brought up.

**_(Sherlock raises his head)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **Yes, he’s been in touch. Seems desperate for my attention ...** **_(his voice becomes more ominous)_ ** **... which I’m sure can be arranged.**

Most of them blinked in shock at Irene talking to Mycroft instead of Sherlock. They knew that Moriarity had talked to Mycroft but they didn’t think it would be enough that Mycroft and Irene instantly assumed it was Mycroft.

**_(Unseen by the others, Sherlock’s gaze begins to sharpen as Irene stands up and walks round the table to sit on its edge nearer Mycroft)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **I had all this stuff, never knew what to do with it. Thank God for the consultant criminal. Gave me a lot of advice about how to play the Holmes boys. D’you know what he calls you?** **_(Softly)_ ** **The IceMan ...** **_(she looks across to Sherlock)_ ** **... and the Virgin.**

**Sherlock’s eyes are starting to flicker back and forth, though it’s not yet clear whether in reaction to what Irene is saying or whether he’s working something out.**

“He’s figuring someone out, isn’t he?” Anderson questioned curiously, a grin finally gracing his lips.

“Hopefully,” Lestrade agreed.

** IRENE: ** **Didn’t even ask for anything. I think he just likes to cause trouble. Now** **_that’s_ ** **my kind of man.  
** **_(Sherlock closes his eyes, sighing softly.)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **And here you are, the dominatrix who brought a nation to its knees.  
** **_(Sherlock’s eyes snap open again. He is definitely working something out. Mycroft stands and appears to bow slightly to Irene)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **Nicely played.  
** **_(He turns away, about to go and begin meeting her demands. Smiling in satisfaction, she stands up, confident that she has won)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **No.**

“Go Sherlock!” Anderson couldn’t help but yell out. Causing John to grin slightly at Anderson fully being on Team Sherlock, despite how much he used to hate Sherlock.

**_(They both turn to him)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Sorry?  
** **_(Sherlock turns his head towards them)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I said no.** **_Very_ ** **very close, but no.**

“What has he figured out?” Kitty questioned, finally speaking up. No one answered, as only one person even had an inkling of an idea as to why.

**_(He stands and starts to walk towards her)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **You got carried away. The game was too elaborate. You were enjoying yourself too much.  
** ** IRENE: ** **No such thing as too much.  
** ** SHERLOCK (walking closer and looking down at her): ** **Oh, enjoying the thrill of the chase is fine, craving the distraction of the game – I sympathise entirely – but sentiment? Sentiment is a chemical defect found in the losing side.**

A few people frowned at Sherlock’s words, after all he was, sentiment wasn’t in the losing side, sometimes it was the only reason the winning side wins.

**_(He bares his teeth slightly as he finishes the sentence)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Sentiment? What are you talking about?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **You.  
** ** IRENE (smiling calmly): ** **Oh dear God. Look at the poor man. You don’t actually think I was interested in you? Why? Because you’re the great Sherlock Holmes, the clever detective in the funny hat?**

Sadness quickly gave way to anger as Irene dares to insult Sherlock. Though a few of them can’t help but wonder if Sherlock was right or not.

**_(He steps even closer to her, their bodies almost touching)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (softly): ** **No.  
** **_(He reaches out and slowly wraps the fingers of his right hand around her left wrist, then leans forward and brings his mouth close to her right ear)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK (in a whisper): ** **Because I took your pulse.**

“Why am I surprised that Sherlock actually checked it?” Donovan questioned curiously, after all, of course Sherlock checked it to make sure she wasn’t faking it.

**Flashback to Irene kneeling in front of him at the flat and putting her hand on top of his, then him turning his hand over and resting his fingertips on the underside of her wrist. In the present, Irene frowns in confusion, while Sherlock tightens his grip a little around her wrist.**

** SHERLOCK (softly into her ear): ** **Elevated; your pupils dilated.**

**Flashback to her kneeling in front of him, her pupils widening as she gazes at him. In the present, he releases her hand and leans past her to pick up the camera phone from the table.**

** SHERLOCK (in a more normal voice): ** **I imagine John Watson thinks love’s a mystery to me but the chemistry is incredibly simple, and very destructive.**

Despite himself, John snorts at Sherlock’s words, grinning slightly.

**_(He turns and walks a few paces away from her. She follows behind him until he turns and faces her again)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **When we first met, you told me that disguise is always a self-portrait. How true of you: the combination to your safe – your measurements; but this ...** **_(he tosses the phone into the air and catches it again)_ ** **... this is far more intimate.**

“Huh,” Lestrade mutters to himself, figuring out what Sherlock was getting at.

**_(He pulls up the security lock with its_ ** **“I AM ---- LOCKED”** **_screen)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **This is your heart ...  
** **_(Without breaking his gaze into her eyes, he punches in the first of the four characters with his thumb)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **... and you should** **_never_ ** **let it rule your head.  
** **_(She stares at him, trying to stay calm but the panic is beginning to show behind her eyes)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **You could have chosen any random number and walked out of here today with everything you’ve worked for ...  
** **_(He punches in the second character, his eyes still locked on hers)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **... but you just couldn’t resist it, could you?  
** **_(Her breathing becomes heavier. Sherlock smiles briefly and triumphantly)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I’ve always assumed that love is a dangerous disadvantage ...  
** **_(He hits the third character, still gazing at her)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **_Thank_ ** **you for the final proof.**

Any amount of cheerfulness was lost as Sherlock talked about love. The small smile appearing on John’s face disappearing at the mention of Sherlock not believing in love.

**_(He lifts his thumb again but before he can type in the fourth character, she seizes his hand and gazes up at him intensely)  
_ ** **IRENE** **(softly)** **:** **Everything I said: it’s not real.** **_(In a whisper)_ ** **I was just playing the game.  
** ** SHERLOCK (in a whisper): ** **I know.  
** **_(Gently pulling his hand free, he types in the final character)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **And this is just losing.**

**Slowly he turns the phone towards her and shows her the screen. She looks down at it, tears spilling from her eyes as she reads the sequence which says:**

**_I AM  
_ ** **_SHER  
_ ** **_LOCKED_ **

“Wow,” Anderson can’t help but whisper, not expecting that.

**She gazes down at the screen in despair for a few seconds, then Sherlock lifts the phone away and holds it out towards Mycroft even as the phone unlocks and presents its menu.**

** SHERLOCK (his eyes still fixed on Irene’s): ** **There you are, brother. I hope the contents make up for any inconvenience I may have caused you tonight.  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **I’m certain they will.**

“And Sherlock still manages to find a way to save the day,” Molly comments with a grin, and a pointed look over at Kitty and Donovan.

**_(He takes the phone and Sherlock turns and begins to walk towards the door)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **If you’re feeling kind, lock her up; otherwise let her go. I doubt she’ll survive long without her protection.  
** **_(Irene stares after him, her eyes wide with dread)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Are you expecting me to beg?  
** ** SHERLOCK (flatly, calmly): ** **Yes.**

A few people blinked in shock, not actually expecting that, though then they realised how petty Sherlock could be, and figured it wasn’t that surprising.

**_(He stops near the door, his face in profile to her. She stares at him in anguish for several seconds, then realises that she has no choice)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **Please.**

While Sherlock making Irene beg might not have been so surprising, Irene actually doing it, was extremely fucking surprising.

**_(He doesn’t move)  
_ ** ** IRENE: ** **You’re right.  
** **_(Now he turns to look at her)  
_ ** **IRENE** **(staring at him pleadingly)** **:** **I won’t even last six months.  
** **SHERLOCK:** **Sorry about dinner.  
** **_(He turns away and walks to the door, opening it and walking through. She watches him go, her eyes full of horror as the door closes behind him)_ **

A small smirk appeared on John’s lips at Sherlock leaving Irene behind, he knew that Sherlock did care for her, but it still felt nice to watch him leave her.

****

**_ BAKER STREET - DAY TIME  
_ ** **It is pouring with rain. Outside Speedy’s café, Mycroft is standing under the protection of his umbrella, smoking a cigarette. He has a clear plastic wallet tucked under one arm and his briefcase is at his feet. John hurries towards home, hunched over and soaking wet because macho BAMFs like John Watson don’t take umbrellas with them. He sees Mycroft standing there and stops in surprise, then walks over to him.**

** JOHN: ** **You don’t smoke.**

“He did in the morgue,” Molly couldn’t help but point out, shooting a pointed look at Mycroft.

** MYCROFT: ** **I also don’t frequent cafés.**

“What are you doing there?” Lystrade questioning curiously.

“I needed to talk to John about my brother,” Mycroft answered.

**Dropping the cigarette on the ground and treading it out, he closes his umbrella, picks up his briefcase and turns and walks into Speedy’s. John follows him.**

“You shouldn’t litter Mycroft,” Mrs Hudson chided, to an expersated Mycroft.

**Not long afterwards they are sitting opposite each other at one of the tables. John picks up his mug and looks at the plastic wallet which Mycroft has put on the table in front of himself. There is a sticker on the wallet saying “RESTRICTED ACCESS – CONFIDENTIAL”. The camera phone is inside the wallet on top of various documents.**

** JOHN: ** **This the file on Irene Adler?  
** **MYCROFT: Closed forever. I am about to go and inform my brother – or, if you prefer, ** **_you_ ** **are – that she somehow got herself into a witness protection scheme in America. New name, new identity. She will survive – and thrive – but he will never see her again.  
** ** JOHN: ** **Why would he care? He despised her at the end. Won’t even mention her by name – just “the Woman.”**

"That doesn’t always mean something bad,” Donovan can’t help but point out.

** MYCROFT: ** **Is that loathing, or a salute? One of a kind; the one woman who matters.**

“Let me guess, it’s the second one,” Anderson muttered, with a lot less contempt in his voice than before.

“Most likely,” Mycroft responded sadly.

** JOHN: ** **He’s not like that. He doesn’t** **_feel_ ** **things that way ... I don’t think.  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **My brother has the brain of a scientist or a philosopher, yet he elects to be a detective. What might we deduce about his heart?  
** ** JOHN: ** **I don’t know.**

“Do you guys still don’t know?” Kitty questioned, for once there was no hatred or disgust in her voice as she talked about Sherlock.

“No,” John admitted softly.

** MYCROFT: ** **Neither do I ... but initially he wanted to be a pirate.**

Everyone laughs at Sherlock wanting to be a pirate. “I can’t not imagine Sherlock on a boat,” Anderson can’t help but comment through his laughter.

**_(He smiles briefly at John, then his gaze becomes distant and reflective.)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **He’ll be okay with this witness protection, never seeing her again. He’ll be fine.  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **I agree.** **_(He breathes in sharply)_ ** **That’s why I decided to** **_tell_ ** **him that.  
** ** JOHN: ** **Instead of what?  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **She’s dead. She was captured by a terrorist cell in Karachi two months ago and beheaded.**

“I know this is probably a bad thing to say, but I’m glad you’re lying to him,” Molly commented. “He probably wouldn’t be able to handle the truth,” She added quietly.

**_(John looks at him silently for several seconds, then quietly clears his throat)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **It’s definitely her? She’s done this before.  
** ** MYCROFT: ** **I was thorough –** **_this_ ** **time. It would take Sherlock Holmes to fool me, and I don’t think he was on hand, do you?  
** **_(They look at each other for a moment.)  
_ ** ** MYCROFT: ** **So ...**

**He pushes the wallet across the table towards John, then puts his elbows on the table, clasps his hands in front of him and rests his chin on them.**

** MYCROFT: ** **... What should we tell Sherlock?**

****

**_ 221B BAKER STREET - DAY  
_ ** **Sherlock is sitting at the kitchen table looking into his microscope. Footsteps can be heard coming up the stairs and he speaks before John even comes into view.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **Clearly you’ve got news.  
** **_(John stops in the doorway with the wallet in his hand. Sherlock doesn’t lift his head)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **If it’s about the Leeds triple murder, it was the gardener. Nobody noticed the earring.**

"What is he talking about?” Molly questioned turning to look at Lestrade. Having forgotten that other things could happen during this case.

“A case he had taken,” Lestrade answered with a shrug.

** JOHN: ** **Hi. Er, no, it’s, um ...** **_(he takes a couple of steps into the kitchen)_ ** **... it’s about Irene Adler.  
** **_(Sherlock looks up, his face unreadable)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Oh? Something happened? Has she come back?**

“Is this him genuinely wanting to know?” Donovan questioned curiously.

“Yep,” John answered in a clipped tone.

** JOHN: ** **No, she’s, er ... I just bumped into Mycroft downstairs. He had to take a call.  
** ** SHERLOCK (standing up and walking around the table towards John): ** **Is she back in London?  
** ** JOHN: ** **No. She’s, er ...  
** **_(He gazes at the table for a long moment, then drags in a sharp breath and raises his eyes to Sherlock’s as his flatmate steps closer, frowning)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **She’s in America.**

“I know I said this before, but I’m glad you’re lying to him, and that you actually went through with it,” Molly commented quietly, smiling warmly over at John.

** SHERLOCK: ** **America?  
** ** JOHN: ** **Mmm-hmm. Got herself on a witness protection scheme, apparently. Dunno how she swung it, but, er, well, you know.  
** **SHERLOCK :** **I know what?  
** ** JOHN: ** **Well, you won’t be able to see her again.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Why would I want to see her again?  
** ** JOHN (smiling ruefully as Sherlock turns away and walks back around the table): ** **Didn’t say you did.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Is that her file?  
** **JOHN: Yes. I was just gonna take it back to Mycroft.  
** **_(He offers the wallet to Sherlock)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Do you want to ...?  
** ** SHERLOCK (sitting down): ** **No.  
** **_(He looks into his microscope again)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Hmm.  
** **_(He looks at his friend for a long while, considering his options. Eventually he steps forward again)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Listen, actually ...  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Oh, but I** **_will_ ** **have the camera phone, though.  
** **_(He holds out his hand towards John, not lifting his gaze from his work)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **There’s nothing on it any more. It’s been stripped.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **I know, but I ...  
** **_(He pauses for a long moment before continuing)  
_ ** ** SHERLOCK: ** **... I’ll still have it.**

A few people blinked in shock at Sherlock wanting the camera phone. Sherlock’s constant words about how sentiment was terrible ringing through their eyes.

** JOHN: ** **I’ve gotta give this back to Mycroft. You can’t keep it.  
** **_(Sherlock keeps his hand extended and his eyes fixed on the microscope)  
_ ** ** JOHN: ** **Sherlock, I** **_have_ ** **to give this to Mycroft. It’s the government’s now. I couldn’t even give ...  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Please.**

**He extends his hand a little further. John looks at him, clearly wondering what to do, then finally he reaches into the wallet, takes out the phone and lays it gently into Sherlock’s hand. Sherlock closes his fingers around it, draws his hand back and puts the phone into his trouser pocket before returning his hand to the microscope.**

“Sorry about that,” John commented, looking over at Mycroft.

“It’s alright, I figured it would happen,” Mycroft admitted. He did know his brother, and he figured that he would want to keep something from the case file.

** SHERLOCK: ** **Thank you.  
** ** JOHN (raising the wallet): ** **Well, I’d better take this back.  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Yes.**

**John turns and walks out onto the landing, then pauses as if wondering whether to ask the question that has now come into his mind. After several seconds he turns round and comes back into the kitchen. Sherlock still doesn’t lift his eyes from his microscope.**

** JOHN: ** **Did she ever text you again, after ... all that?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **Once, a few months ago.  
** ** JOHN: ** **What did she say?  
** ** SHERLOCK: ** **“Goodbye, Mr Holmes.”**

A few people frown, shock over Irene sending him the text, and the text itself.

**_(John looks at him thoughtfully)  
_ ** ** JOHN (softly): ** **Huh.**

**He paces around in front of the kitchen door for a few seconds, wondering if there’s anything more he can say, then eventually turns and heads off down the stairs. As soon as he’s out of sight Sherlock raises his head and gazes across the room for a moment, then he reaches down to his own phone which is on the table and picks it up, calling up his saved messages. Getting up and walking into the living room, he scrolls through the messages sent by “The Woman,” all of which he has kept.**

“I didn’t think he would have kept them all,” Anderson muttered quietly to himself as Sherlock started scrolling through all the texts.

**They go on for a long time:**

**_I’m not hungry, let’s have dinner.  
_ ** **_Bored in a hotel. Join me. Let’s have dinner.  
_ ** **_John’s blog is HILARIOUS. I think he likes you more than I do. Let’s have dinner._ **

John huffed quietly to himself at the continuous mention of him and Sherlock being interested in the other.

**_I can see tower bridge and the moon from my room. Work out where I am and join me.  
_ ** **_I saw you in the street today. You didn’t see me.  
_ ** **_You do know that hat actually suits you, don’t you?  
_ ** **_Oh for God’s sake. Let’s have dinner.  
_ ** **_I like your funny hat.  
_ ** **_I’m in Egypt talking to an idiot. Get on a plane, let’s have dinner.  
_ ** **_You looked sexy on Crimewatch.  
_ ** **_Even you have got to eat. Let’s have dinner.  
_ ** **_BBC1 right now. You’ll laugh.  
_ ** **_I’m thinking of sending you a Christmas present.  
_ ** **_Mantelpiece.  
_ ** **_I’m not dead. Let’s have dinner.  
_ ** ****

**Then comes the one reply he sent to her:  
** ****

**_Happy New Year_ **

**And at the bottom of the list is her last message to him:**

**_Goodbye Mr Holmes_ **

**Reaching the living room window, he looks down at the final message for a long time before lifting his eyes and gazing out at the pouring rain.**

****

**_ KARACHI - NIGHT  
_ ** **Flashback to (presumably) two months earlier in Karachi. It is night time and there is background noise of male voices shouting in a foreign language. Shaky camera footage eventually resolves into clearer resolution, revealing Irene kneeling on the ground in front of a military vehicle. She is dressed in black robes, her hair covered by a black headscarf, and is typing one-handed onto her phone.**

“Why is it showing Irene’s death?” Kitty questioned curiously as Mycroft and John leaned forward in their seats.

**Standing to her right is a man holding a rifle with one hand while he repeatedly gestures for her phone with the other. She ignores him, refusing to hand it over until she has finished her message, which reads:**

**_Goodbye Mr Holmes  
_ ** **_(She presses Send and then gives the phone to the man)_ **

“Did she really spend her last few moments alive to send Sherlock a text?” Donovan questioned in shock. She knew Irene cared about him and everything, but that still seemed a little excessive.

**To her left, a second man walks over and raises a wide-bladed curved sword above her head, bringing it slowly down towards the back of her neck while he checks that his aim will be correct. Irene stares ahead of herself, fighting her tears, then the screen fades to black as she slowly closes her eyes.**

**_(A couple of seconds later, an orgasmic female sigh fills the air)_ **

Now it was everyone’s turn to be completely shocked at the fact that Sherlock was at that execution. Though a few couldn’t help but wonder, how the hell he managed to find her, and without anyone noticing.

**Irene’s eyes snap open and fill with hope as she turns her head to look at her executioner. His face is completely shrouded apart from his eyes, but a very recognisable blue-grey gaze meets her own.**

** SHERLOCK (quietly): ** **When I say run,** **_run_ ** **!**

Mycroft sighs at the sight of Sherlock rescuing Irene, knowing full well that this means that she wasn’t dead.

**She turns her head to the front again. Sherlock pulls back the sword as if he’s about to strike the death blow, then he spins and begins to strike out at the nearby militia. Irene stares ahead of herself, her eyes wide with disbelief that she is going to live. Slowly she begins to smile.**

**_ 221B BAKER STREET - DAY  
_ ** **In London in the present, Sherlock smiles at the memory, then chuckles to himself as he takes Irene’s camera phone from his pocket. Tossing it into the air and catching it again, he looks at it for a couple of seconds.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **The Woman.**

**Opening the top drawer of a nearby cabinet, he puts the phone into it and is about to withdraw his hand when he pauses, then puts his fingers onto the phone again and looks at it thoughtfully.**

** SHERLOCK: ** **_The_ ** **Woman.**

John’s eyes narrow, almost to slits as he glares at Sherlock. An angry and sickening feeling welling up inside of him.

**_(He lifts his head and gazes out at the rainy city for a while, then turns and walks away)_ **


	21. Confessions (00x00)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Transcript: Arainedevere

\--3rd P.O.V.--

Silence fills the room as the screen turns black. Though this time, no words appeared on the screen. Lestrade and Molly got up to get more food, while Donovan moved closer to Anderson and where the others were sitting. Curiously, Donovan glanced around curiously, wondering what everyone else was doing.

Kitty was frowning up at the tv, clearly thinking about something. Moriarty was quiet, though whether that was by choice or because everyone bar Kitty didn’t like him, Donovan had no way to tell. Lestrade and Molly were joking and laughing as they filled their plates, while Mycroft watched them quietly. The shadowy figure still had yet to move or speak, and Donovan quickly looked away, feeling creeped out. Beside her, Anderson was talking to Mrs Hudson about Sherlock. And beside her, John was… well he was glaring daggers at the now blank screen.

“You know, if you keep glaring at the screen like that, people will talk,” Donovan joked slightly, finally causing John to look away at the screen and at Donovan.

“So fucking what!” John shouted, gaining everyone’s attention. “So what if they talk, because it’s true. Isn’t that what you want to hear? That I’m in love with my best friend?!” John had tears in his eyes as his voice cracked. His body trembled in anger and sadness as he glared at Donovan, and at everyone who tried to talk to him. “That poor John is in love with his dead best friend, despite the fact that even if Sherlock was alive, there would be no way in hell that he could feel the same,” John cried, the tears finally breaking free as he sobs.

He had never said that aloud, never told anyone about the feelings he had been trying so hard to squash. Arms wrapped around him, and it took longer than he would like to realise that they belonged to Mrs Hudson and Molly.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Donovan spoke quietly when she was sure John had calmed some-what down. “I swear, I just meant it as a joke, if I had known it had any truth to it, I wouldn’t have said anything,” Donovan swore softly, feeling guilty as she stared helplessly at John.

“I know,” John admitted after a few moments, feeling embarrassed as he struggled to stop crying.

Before anyone could say anything further, whether that was to comfort John or to interrogate him about his feelings, the tv suddenly sprang to life. A fact to which John was thankful for, as he continued to struggle to put himself together after his minor breakdown.

Though instead of any words, the next case started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this one is so terrible, I suck at writing confrontations and anything to do with emotions.


End file.
